01/02/2007
Gay Marriage Measure Has Last Gasp in Massachusetts
The constitutional convention in the Massachusetts legislature gets underway at 2 pm today and opponents of gay marriage are making last minute attempts to force a vote on the issue.
The Supreme Judicial Court recently rejected a request from opponents to force the legislature to vote on the issue.
Although "recent polls suggest that although the majority of those in the Bay State want to vote on the issue, more than 60 percent would vote against a gay marriage ban," Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute says that same-sex marriage opponents won't give up: "We’re not going to go away until we get our due process."
Said Arline Isaacson of the Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus: "Civil rights should never go to the popular vote. That's fundamentally un-American to allow the masses to determine who gets treated equally under the law and who doesn't by a popularity contest."
The backstory...
Massachusetts High Court Won't Force a Vote on Gay Marriage [tr]
Justice Delays Ruling on Gay Marriage Ballot Measure [tr]
Mitt Romney Asks Court to Force Vote on Anti-Gay Amendment [tr]
Anticipating Presidential Run, Mitt Romney Stages Anti-Gay Marriage Rally [tr]
Opponents of Gay Marriage in Massachusetts Dealt "Fatal Blow" [tr]
Posted 9:28 AM EST by Andy Towle in Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, Massachusetts, News | Permalink
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Thanks for your coverage on this matter, as someone who was able to marry after a 26 year relationship, I am so scared and frustrated that this may mean the end of equal rights and protection in the only state to allow equal marriage.
Posted by: Ron | Jan 2, 2007 9:48:57 AM
Well, they managed to do it here in Tennessee and I've never felt like such a second class citizen before in my life.
When is someone going to step up and say enough is enough? Why can't the United States Supreme Court step in and just make the decision?
Can you imagine the masses voting on every aspect of law and what is fair and right and equal?
Posted by: Bobby | Jan 2, 2007 11:27:52 AM
>>"Civil rights should never go to the popular vote. That's fundamentally un-American to allow the masses to determine who gets treated equally under the law and who doesn't by a popularity contest."
Ideally, I agree.
Yet it's also "un-American" to attempt a run-around of a legitimate legislative process and deny the people's representatives the right to vote on an important public issue.
And why do I suspect that if the shoe were on the other foot and it were an issue that gay people supported like hate crimes legislation and the opposition was attempting to block a vote, all the high-minded talk about being "un-American" would go out the window and they would be clamoring to let the Legislature take a fair vote on the issue.
Posted by: LightningLad | Jan 2, 2007 12:06:27 PM
Constitutional amendments have broader implications than civil rights. Isaacson's arguments are crazy. This was an attempt to repeal a decision by the MSC, which is not a populist body (though highly political). This is not a vote to increase civil rights (privileges in this case), but to decrease them. The main worry is that similar amendments have passed in several other states by popular vote, and by very large margins. Polling has been wrong on several occasions and in Catholic Massachusetts it could be wrong again. Were a ballot initiative (as in CA) going around to allow gay marriage I strongly doubt Isaacson would be arguing against the measure since it would be pro-gay. What a nutjob! We need better.
Posted by: Anon | Jan 2, 2007 12:15:46 PM
Lightninglad indeed! I'm getting slow!
Posted by: Anon | Jan 2, 2007 12:17:46 PM