An anti-gay amendment put together by Massachusetts lawmakers that would ban gay marriages but enshrine civil unions has lost so much support that it looks unlikely to get the needed votes to get it on the ballot. Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts will remain legal for the foreseeable future.
More than a dozen lawmakers who voted for it the first time around said they will switch their votes this week, either because they fully support gay marriage or oppose civil unions.
Others simply said that after more than a year of watching gay couples marry with no ill effect on society, they see no need to rescind the right.Rep. Anne M. Gobi, D-Spencer, had a change of heart after seeing how the opportunity to marry has changed the lives of so many couples. She said she could not support the compromise amendment, as she did last year.
“I haven't talked to any married heterosexual couples that have felt threatened by same-sex marriages,” she said. “When you look at the world situation and all the terrible things that are happening, there's a lot worse things … than allowing two people who love each other to be together.”
An alternative amendment, which would simplify the bigotry by declaring marriage to be between a man and a woman, is being proposed for inclusion on the ballot in 2008.
