Today, the Massachusetts Legislature will have a choice one more time to vote or not vote to allow a public referendum on this State's High Court ruling allowing same same marriage.
To date, the Legislature has recessed (nobly) to squash the vote from being made public. It is my opinion that the High Courts ruling means this, and this is what the Legislature has been attempting to do with it's own actions: that the rights of the few (GLBT people as the minority) MUST BE PROTECTED and given the same set of BENEFITS as their heterosexual counterparts, (in this case a majority of religiously fueled zealots).
To allow a public vote Massachusetts faces a reversal of the historic law of equality for all adult non-related couples to marry and receive the same responsibilities, benefits and obligations that heterosexuals now possess.
The opposition to this equality movement comes in its majority from religious organizations, particularity in Mass. headed by the strong presence of the Roman Catholic Church and the Religious Right, spearheaded in this drive by one of their organiizations, Focus on the Family, pressuring from the outside State of Colorado. (All this while polls show support into the 60's percentile that Massachusetts citizens are well adapted and accepting of the 2004 law allowing the State's same sex couples to marry...
My opinion is that if FOF and it's umbrella groups can help force the Mass. Legislature to act than so can we.
Please call and e-mail the Mass. legislature and call and write the Boston Globe - NOW - and request that as a progressive State, Mass., will remain open to GLBT equality and refuse to allow a public vote on some very personal spousal and parental rights. If you are a same sex spouse or a same sex parent you know that this is a call for you know! A reversal in Mass. means that a vote in New York, California or New Jersey - and where ever else we may have the ability to win the next round - will be severely diminshed.
There is an historical precedent to protect a minorities rights over the greater publics. Just in the last centry we watched this happen with the Women's movement for the Right to Vote, and throughout the sixties we wached African American brothers and sisters struggle to have the laws they'd won hard enforced, this case presents the same basic arguments and is simply a retelling of the Old Testament parabel of The shepherd, David, and his Goliath.
To date, the Legislature has recessed (nobly) to squash the vote from being made public. It is my opinion that the High Courts ruling means this, and this is what the Legislature has been attempting to do with it's own actions: that the rights of the few (GLBT people as the minority) MUST BE PROTECTED and given the same set of BENEFITS as their heterosexual counterparts, (in this case a majority of religiously fueled zealots).
To allow a public vote Massachusetts faces a reversal of the historic law of equality for all adult non-related couples to marry and receive the same responsibilities, benefits and obligations that heterosexuals now possess.
The opposition to this equality movement comes in its majority from religious organizations, particularity in Mass. headed by the strong presence of the Roman Catholic Church and the Religious Right, spearheaded in this drive by one of their organiizations, Focus on the Family, pressuring from the outside State of Colorado. (All this while polls show support into the 60's percentile that Massachusetts citizens are well adapted and accepting of the 2004 law allowing the State's same sex couples to marry...
My opinion is that if FOF and it's umbrella groups can help force the Mass. Legislature to act than so can we.
Please call and e-mail the Mass. legislature and call and write the Boston Globe - NOW - and request that as a progressive State, Mass., will remain open to GLBT equality and refuse to allow a public vote on some very personal spousal and parental rights. If you are a same sex spouse or a same sex parent you know that this is a call for you know! A reversal in Mass. means that a vote in New York, California or New Jersey - and where ever else we may have the ability to win the next round - will be severely diminshed.
There is an historical precedent to protect a minorities rights over the greater publics. Just in the last centry we watched this happen with the Women's movement for the Right to Vote, and throughout the sixties we wached African American brothers and sisters struggle to have the laws they'd won hard enforced, this case presents the same basic arguments and is simply a retelling of the Old Testament parabel of The shepherd, David, and his Goliath.
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