Friday, March 12, 2004
The Massachusetts State House was an indescribable scene at yesterday's Constitutional Convention. Four thousand activists converged here to sing and chant their hearts out -- either for or against gay marriage. They also took turns dropping off impassioned leaflets onto our desks until everyone in the building had a mountain of them spilling off onto the floor (I give both sides an F in the environmental-friendly department). Many would stare into my eyes before leaving as if I might somehow be able to exert magical influence onto the outcome of the convention. "Sorry," I'd think to myself. "My boss is one of those fifty-something white Catholic males who just barely squeaks by as a Democrat..."
I will really have to save all the pro/con literature and emails that have come my way over the last few months. Maybe some history buff will want to buy it on eBay for historical posterity purposes or something. Anyway, all was good, fine, and civil until I stumbled across one of the hearing rooms in the basement. Inside was an eclectic group of Pentecostalists screaming in tongues, weeping, and rolling on the floor. "Homosexuality is a SIN!! Amen. Amen. Hallelujah." Good grief. Who ARE these people?
From an entirely save-my-hide political perspective the proposed “Leadership” amendment put forth to a vote last night in the House Chambers is brilliant. It gives every Senator and Rep the opportunity to go home to their constituents with a message that should please almost everyone (thus enabling them to hang on to their day jobs come November). On the one side, the amendment to the constitution upholds marriage as being a unique relationship between a man and a woman, and on the other, includes the recognition of civil unions replete with all the benefits afforded to married heterosexual couples.
The good news for gays who are dismayed that Massachusetts voted to write discrimination into the constitution is that if and when the amendment actually gets on the ballot (not until 2006), there will likely be a lot more acceptance around the idea of gay marriage. Especially that there will quite literally be gays married and living in the Bay State starting May 17th of this year (the bad news is that an obscure residency clause will make it difficult for out-of-state couples to wed here in Massachusetts). By then too, there will be that many more old-foogie retired-folks who have kicked the bucket and will no longer be around to vote against gay marriage. They'll likely be turning over in their Puritan graves instead. Either that or they'll be in the hot condo next to mine -- the one with a view to boy-diddling Catholic priests roasting on spits.
Kerry must be entirely happy by this turn of events. "See, see! Massachusetts isn't so pinky liberal as everyone makes them out to be! We just voted against gay marriage!" Bush, on the other hand, is going to have a much harder time. The Arlington Group, a who’s who of influential conservatives, is as in favor of a one-man, one-woman marriage amendment to the U.S. constitution as it is opposed to civil unions. If Bush takes as hard a line as they want him to, he most definitely will alienate any moderates he had hoped to court given that already the tide is turning in favor of the idea of civil unions. He has already alienated the Log Cabin Republicans, an organized coalition of about one million gay Republicans who are now working to prevent discrimination being written into the constitution. View the Commercial they are Running.
I will really have to save all the pro/con literature and emails that have come my way over the last few months. Maybe some history buff will want to buy it on eBay for historical posterity purposes or something. Anyway, all was good, fine, and civil until I stumbled across one of the hearing rooms in the basement. Inside was an eclectic group of Pentecostalists screaming in tongues, weeping, and rolling on the floor. "Homosexuality is a SIN!! Amen. Amen. Hallelujah." Good grief. Who ARE these people?
From an entirely save-my-hide political perspective the proposed “Leadership” amendment put forth to a vote last night in the House Chambers is brilliant. It gives every Senator and Rep the opportunity to go home to their constituents with a message that should please almost everyone (thus enabling them to hang on to their day jobs come November). On the one side, the amendment to the constitution upholds marriage as being a unique relationship between a man and a woman, and on the other, includes the recognition of civil unions replete with all the benefits afforded to married heterosexual couples.
The good news for gays who are dismayed that Massachusetts voted to write discrimination into the constitution is that if and when the amendment actually gets on the ballot (not until 2006), there will likely be a lot more acceptance around the idea of gay marriage. Especially that there will quite literally be gays married and living in the Bay State starting May 17th of this year (the bad news is that an obscure residency clause will make it difficult for out-of-state couples to wed here in Massachusetts). By then too, there will be that many more old-foogie retired-folks who have kicked the bucket and will no longer be around to vote against gay marriage. They'll likely be turning over in their Puritan graves instead. Either that or they'll be in the hot condo next to mine -- the one with a view to boy-diddling Catholic priests roasting on spits.
Kerry must be entirely happy by this turn of events. "See, see! Massachusetts isn't so pinky liberal as everyone makes them out to be! We just voted against gay marriage!" Bush, on the other hand, is going to have a much harder time. The Arlington Group, a who’s who of influential conservatives, is as in favor of a one-man, one-woman marriage amendment to the U.S. constitution as it is opposed to civil unions. If Bush takes as hard a line as they want him to, he most definitely will alienate any moderates he had hoped to court given that already the tide is turning in favor of the idea of civil unions. He has already alienated the Log Cabin Republicans, an organized coalition of about one million gay Republicans who are now working to prevent discrimination being written into the constitution. View the Commercial they are Running.
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