This weekend Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick will become the first sitting governor in the state's history to march in the gay pride parade, according to the Boston Globe:
“Patrick, who marched in the last two Boston pride parades as a candidate for governor, has been working to help defeat a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, which the Legislature is scheduled to vote on at a constitutional convention next week. Action on the measure could be delayed if its opponents do not have the votes to defeat it.”
Patrick, who has warned of a “circus” should the measure get to the ballot, attended a fundraiser on Thursday night for rights group MassEquality and said that he'll ask legislators to postpone the vote on the proposed amendment if he does not think there are enough votes to kill it.
According to the paper, “Both sides agree that 57 lawmakers have either voted in favor of the question in the past or pledged to support it. Opponents need to convince eight of those lawmakers to change their minds to block the question from reaching voters on the 2008 ballot. Supporters of the amendment need to hold on to at least 50 lawmakers.”
Said Patrick: “We want a vote that goes the right way, that keeps us off the ballot. If we need more time, we'll ask for more time…There are still great passions and great fear and great intolerance on the other side.”
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