Gay Marriage Advances Again in Massachusetts

The MA House of Rep. voted to repeal the 1913 law preventing out of state couples from getting married there is their marriage at home is not legal. The Senate earlier agreed to this and the Gov. said he would sign it.

This means gay couples from anywhere can be married legally in the Bay State. This was an expansion of marriage rights enacted not by court mandate (aka "activist judges") but by the people's duly elected representatives. If California voters reject their proposed constitutional amendment against same sex marriage this fall that will be another electoral victory and yet another sign that legalizing same sex marriage doesn't mean sudden death politically.

So, let's review the bidding. We have:

• A possible 60 seat majority for Democrats in the Senate - meaning Republicans couldn't filibuster without Democratic defections
• The electoral expansion of same sex marriage rights elsewhere in the country
• A possible Democratic president who has said states should decide the marriage issue for themselves
• A DC mayor and city council that is on record in favor of same sex marriage

You'd think the time would be right for DC to recognize gay marriages.

Won't happen, though. Gay marriage will be legal in Mississippi before it is here in the capital of the free world.

A Celebration of the Gay Marriage Victory

Andrew Sullivan exults:

Looking back on two decades of struggle, past the ashes of so many, to the clearing on which we now stand, it's hard not to weep. Two decades ago, marriage for gays was a pipe-dream. Some of us were ridiculed for even thinking of the idea. And yet here we are. Past the vicious attack from the president, past the cynical manipulation by Rove, past the cowardice of so many Democrats, past the rank hypocrisy of the Clintons, past the inertia of the Human Rights Campaign, past the false dawn in San Francisco, and the countless, countless debates and speeches and books and articles and op-eds. Yes, we have much more to do. Yes, we still have to win over those who see our loves as somehow destructive of the families we seek merely to affirm. Yes, we don't have federal recognition of our basic civic equality. Yes, in many, many states, we have been locked out of equality for a generation, because of the politics of fear and backlash. But look how far we've come. From a viral holocaust to full equality - somewhere in America, in the commonwealth where American freedom was born. In two decades. This is history. What a privilege to have witnessed it.

Read the rest.

The Fight in Mass

Dale Carpenter recounts the battle and its signifigance.

A Changed Vote on Mass. Gay Marriage

A Democratic Massachusetts state Senator explains why she switched her vote from anti-gay marriage to pro:

Same gendered couples are taxpaying, law-abiding citizens, who are important community contributors, well-loved and well-respected by their families, friends, neighbors and employers. They deserve and are entitled to the same legal protections enjoyed by all others citizens of our state. This is the law of the Commonwealth, articulated by our Supreme Judicial Court in Goodrich v. The Department of Public Health, decided in November, 2003.

Despite dire predictions, there has been no adverse societal impact from this decision and most people now express little concern about same gender marriage.

Springfield and Western Massachusetts needs these families, and all our families, to help rebuild our neighborhoods and the peaceful and productive society to which I know, whatever our differences on some things, we all aspire. As a practical matter, I believe we simply cannot afford to marginalize our human resources. Most importantly, I feel strongly that no child should ever be made to feel "less than" or "second-best" nor should any of our children be exposed to a public campaign focused on adult matters of personal privacy. There is altogether too much unseemly information brought into our homes and schools already. It is in the best interests of our children that we accept fully these new families.

You can read her entire statement here.