Two Steps Foward, One Step Back
On January 2nd, two-thirds of Massachusetts legislators voted against a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, but their votes were not enough. The amendment, which required only 50 votes to move forward, will now face a second round of consideration in 2007 or 2008. Do Something Now.
We have lost this battle, but we will most certainly win this war.
Marriage is a civil right. In all fights for civil rights there are two steps forward and one step back.
We need to keep this amendment off of the ballot. There is more at risk than our right to marry.
Growing up gay can be hell. Gay teenagers commit suicide at a rate four times higher than their peers. Growing up gay during an all out anti-gay campaign would be deadly. If this war on gay marriage was allowed to continue there would certainly be casualties. Most of those casualties would be gay and lesbian teenagers.
Massachusetts stands as a beacon of hope for fair-minded individuals all across this nation. Let us now come together to fight to protect our rights.
We should take a minute to realize how far we have come.
Be proud.
Now fight.
We will win this fight for full equality.
We will win. I promise you that.
"The moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice" -- Martin Luther King, Jr.
posted by Chris Mason @ 12:04 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
What wonderful words. My position has always been to accentuate the positive and regroup with a setback. Thank you for showing me that my thoughts are shared by others.
Thanks Chris.
I would add something missing from MassEquality's DO SOMETHING NOW list. That is, I think we all, LGBT folks and Allies alike, need to join speakers bureaus or canvassing groups. We need to be out there talking to people directly. I think this is the key, whether the ultimate goal is marriage equality, safe schools, or any other LGBT-related issue. I hope people will commit to spending an hour a month (or more) to tell their personal story to a school group, church group, etc. Many orgs have speakers bureaus - SpeakOut Boston comes to mind, but other folks might be able to suggest others. PFLAG maybe?
Senate...7 voted 'yes', 32 voted 'no'
House... 55 'yes', 102 'no'
Total... 62 'yes'... 134 'no'
This is almost exactly the opposite of the vote of the same measure in 2003...
And 2007 brings changes too.... 17 legislators leaving... of which the pro-equality side picked up 7 seats...leaving only 5 bigots to go...
The tide is changing for equality. The latest polls show 68 percent in favor of gay marriage in Massachusetts...in 2003 that number was only 43 percent...What will those numbers be in 2008?
Beware of over confidence that we will win this war. The votes in the legislature that need to be flipped are few but they are extremely stubborn ones. Popular opinion can be extremely fickle. The gay-haters are going to run very ugly ads to create doubt in voters' minds about the worthiness of gays to marry. The liquor store owners managed to convince voters they like paying more for wine and beer. Over confidence will kill us. We need to work harder than ever.
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