“A glorious victory”

By a vote of 151-45, Massachusetts legislators rejected a proposal to put an amendment to the state’s constitution on the November 2008 ballot. The amendment would have outlawed same-sex marriage in that state, the only US state where it’s legal.

In 2004, a Massachusetts court ordered legalised same-sex marriage, and religious opponents have been trying ever since to outlaw it. This defeat was far closer than it should have been (they needed only 50 votes to progress the amendment), but it means it’s increasingly improbable that the hatemongers will be able to peddle the amendment again. Increasing majorities of voters back the law as it is, seeing that after three years and some 8500 same-sex marriages, neither the world nor the state has ended.

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (who supported gay rights and abortion rights until he decided to run for president and then changed his positions to court far-right christianist Republican voters), said that it was a “regrettable setback” and said there needed to be an amendment to the US Constitution to enshrine hate (in this case, to ban same-sex marriage nationwide, even through that’s strictly a state matter). Add it to the long list of reasons why this opportunistic creep should never be president.

The reason opponents keep pushing for a vote, as I noted back in January when a public vote seemed more probable, is this:

They only want a “vote” because they’re sure they can lie, manipulate and cheat their way to victory. Again.

And commenting on a possible ballot measure in Massachusetts, I added:

No state has yet rejected such a constitutional amendment, though in 2006 Arizona voters rejected a narrower ballot measure. Considering the unlimited millions of dollars that the far right has to throw at Massachusetts, along with their proven campaigns sowing hate and fear, it’s by no means certain that marriage justice will survive in Massachusetts. Ending the only legal same-sex marriage in the US would have to be at the top of their agenda.

That hasn’t changed and the far right will continue to push this issue using whatever means they can in order to promote their agenda, raise money and elect candidates. Sadly, it will be years before victory is complete.

Still, in a post titled “A glorious victory,” David wrote at the Blue Mass Group, “We have a system; the system worked.” Indeed it did. Three cheers for the sensible people of Massachusetts who have helped repel the forces of hate and intolerance. Let’s just pause and savour this rare victory.