Sex In The Public Square - Massachusetts Defeats Anti-Marriage-Equality Amendment - Comments

Yay MA!

Elizabeth — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 21:17:40 -0700

The rights of a minority ought not generally be subject to majority rule (unless it is a generous and compassionate majority, which is never guaranteed). I'm glad the MA legislature did the right thing. That, however, was no guarantee, as the last voted demonstrated.

How do we know, as a society, especially as a society that is brought up with the "majority rule democracy" ideal, when is the right time for the courts to make a decision and when is the right time for the legislature to make a decision, and when is the right time for the people to make a decision?

Democracy sure is messy!

All that said, BRAVO to the lawmakers in MA who voted down the amendment, because really this was best decided by the courts.

Now, purely speculation: Would a popular vote on the amendment have passed or failed in MA?

Massachusetts Defeats Anti-Marriage-Equality Amendment

JanieBelle — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:35:37 -0700

On the AP wire: Lawmakers in the Bay State have tossed out a Constitutional amendment that would have allowed voters to decide whether to bring back the days of state sponsored discrimination against same-sex Americans.

BOSTON (AP) -- Massachusetts lawmakers threw out a proposed constitutional amendment Thursday that would have let voters decide whether to ban gay marriage in the only state that allows it.

The vote - which came amid heavy pressure to kill the measure from Gov. Deval Patrick and legislative leaders - was a devastating blow to efforts to reverse a historic 2003 court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.

"Today's vote is not just a victory for marriage equality. It was a victory for equality itself," said Patrick, who had lobbied lawmakers up until the final hours to kill the measure.
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