I received this email message from Mass Equality this afternoon:
We won!
Thanks to you, the Massachusetts Legislature has beaten back the discriminatory, anti-gay, anti-marriage Constitutional amendment.
The final 151 to 44 vote happened because of the leadership of Governor Deval Patrick, Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray, Senate President Terry Murray and House Speaker Sal DiMasi, who worked tirelessly to defeat this amendment.
Thanks to them, our strong group of legislative allies and the courageous new allies who realized that no one’s civil rights should be placed on a public ballot, all Massachusetts families are stronger and safer today….
There’s a lot to celebrate. But FIRST, we must say thank you.
— Call or email your legislators TODAY who voted NO today. See how they voted here.
— Call or email the three leaders who made this possible: Governor Patrick, Senate President Murray, and House Speaker DiMasi.
— Finally, send a short letter to your local newspaper thanking these leaders and your legislator for their support and their vote.…We will always, all of us, remember this battle for equality. We know in our hearts that not only are we and our families safer and more secure today, but all the loving couples and families that follow us. It’s a proud day in Massachusetts, indeed.
Good news, indeed! I had hoped to go to the State House today and show legislators my support for marriage equality, but I wound up making a pastoral call instead. But who cares whether I was there or not — the discriminatory anti-gay marriage amendment was defeated. Hooray!
Well, this might stem the brain drain of gay talent to Toronto out of Boston, something the University of Wisconsin is suffering since their legislature went in the opposite direction from Mass.
It’s a victory in a long battle, huh? I wish me & my partner could afford to wait for America to catch up to us.
We support the battle, but the personal toll of inequality in America is too much, with gay Montreal and Vancouver just a quick plane ride away from Manhattan and L.A., respectively . . .
Cheers!
It is an encouraging first step. I hope that the USA will finally the growing group of nations (Spain, Canada, Denmark and a few others) that have already legalized gay marriage, and without so many legal and social troubles.
It makes me think: does it mean that UUism needs a socially conservative nation to thrive?
Mark — Massachusetts is fairly tolerant, and becoming more so as time goes by. And there’s excellent train service from Boston to New York, which is much more ecologically friendly than air travel. You should give us a try.
Jaume — Well, Unitarian Universalism remains stronger in Massachusetts than anywhere else in the United States, and Massachusetts is a very liberal state, so maybe we don’t need a socially conservative cultural matrix in order to thrive.
Dan I am most pleased that my friend Jaume de Marcos has found your blog.
Jaume and I have been communicating for several years now. He spent a couple of days with Mary and me in Colorado a while back while we showed him the glory of “my mountains.”
When Jaume’s son was born, Jane Willard from UUSG, wrote him a beautiful note in Spanish. Jaume was surprised that any American could write such perfect Spanish!
It is great that we UUs can have so many wonderful connections from around the world.
Best wishes to you Dan.
BTW Lindsay had a hip replacement today; Scot reports that she is doing well.