Absolutely amazing. I was watching the live Tv feed online as the vote happened. 45 vote to send it to the voters, 151 voted to not send it to the voters. The "yes" side needed at least 50 votes.

Go Massachusetts! You are a role model for every other state in the nation. As BlueMassGroup.com said, "A glorious victory for the forces of equality."

-Gavin

Labels: constitutional amendment, legislature, Massachusetts

Right this moment, Massachusetts state legislators are meeting for a constitutional convention. Today is the day that the future of gay marriage will be decided for the state. Will it be referred to the voters?

From HRC:
As you may know, today the state legislators will vote on whether to add an anti-marriage constitutional amendment to the 2008 state ballot. Our opponents need to secure at least 50 votes today to get the amendment on the ballot.

After 3 years and more than 9,000 same-sex marriages, the vote will likely be very close. We picked up one vote last night, but it's really coming down to the wire.

Live Blogging from the constitutional convention is here.

There is also a live TV feed here.

UPDATE FROM HRC Field Director:
Just got out of a closed-door meeting of 30 or so of the legislative leaders who support marriage equality and are whipping for final vote. Scarfing down sandwiches held together with toothpicks adorned with American flags. The meeting is in the basement of St. Paul's Episcopal Church across the Boston Commons. The mood is serious as every possible move is being plotted. It is almost reverent as legislators are keenly aware of what is about to happen is less than one hour. The leaders, Senator Stan Rosenberg and House Member Byron Rushing, gave the directions. The vote is expected to happen at 1:00 sharp and to be over quickly, if all goes well.

The legislators in the church are silent and seem to struggle to swallow their lunches. They stream out in silence and now head to the Statehouse. One by one, legislators say to me, "Welcome home." The crowd outside the Statehouse, now in the thousands, is rather quiet, sensing the seriousness of the moment as the legislators file by them. I am now walking into the Statehouse to, hopefully, see history made in our country.

Labels: constitutional amendment, legislature, marriage, Massachusetts

What a day in Massachusetts today. Today the legislature convened for their last day of the session. Up until today it was unclear if they would end up voting for a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage-making it between one man and one woman, after it was already legalized in 2004.

So what is the state of gay marriage in Massachusetts? First there are a couple of things that you should know. Opponents of gay marriage only needed 50 of the total 200 votes to pass this constitutional amendment on to the next legislature next session, then if it passes next session, it will be moved to the ballot where the people of Massachusetts will vote on civil rights.

So today, the amendment was brought to the floor without debate. It passed. The vote was 61-132 in favor of advancing the proposed constitutional amendment. Backers of equality failed to rally the 151 votes they needed to kill the measure but succeeded in forcing an hour delay to reconsider the initial vote.

A second vote then took place. The vote tally was then 62-134, still enough to move the amendment forward to the next legislative session.

A total of 17 lawmakers who voted Tuesday won't be returning in the new session, including some of the most vocal opponents of same-sex marriage. Supporters of marriage equality say they will pick up a total of seven votes to block the proposed amendment in the new session, according to Marc Solomon, campaign director for MassEquality.

Massachusetts has some very strong allies of equality in their legislature, as well as their new Governor who is set to take office. The following are some statements made regarding the repulsive nature of writing discrimination into the constitution.

House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, (D-Boston):
DiMasi said the amendment discriminates against gay citizens and vowed to work with Patrick to defeat the question before it reaches voters.

"Today a minority of legislators voted to advance a proposal that takes away the civil rights those couples are guaranteed to under our constitution," DiMasi said in a statement. "This initiative petition is offensive and deplorable."

Governor-elect Deval Patrick, a supporter of marriage equality, urged legislators to avoid a vote on the proposed amendment. A vote to adjourn the joint constitutional convention without taking up the gay marriage amendment would have killed the measure and put supporters of the ban back to square one. Governor-elect Patrick said:

"This is not just another question for popular decision. This is a question, under the equal protection clause, about what freedoms the minority is entitled to," Patrick told reporters after meeting with DiMasi. "This is the first time that the petition process has ever been used to consider reinserting discrimination into the constitution."
After the vote, Patrick said issued a written statement saying he was disappointed.

"We have never used the initiative petition to limit individual freedoms and personal privacy, but today's vote was a regrettable step in that direction," he said.

Labels: constitutional amendment, marriage, Massachusetts

In an act of unethical despiration, presidential hopeful and outgoing Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney is threatening to hold back pay for state legislators until there is a vote on banning gay marriage in Massachusetts. The man is on a damn crusade to take the rights and protections away from children and their families.

With time running out opponents of same-sex marriage are massing a major campaign aimed at forcing Massachusetts lawmakers to vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that would bar gay and lesbian couples from tying the knot.

Outgoing Gov. Mitt Romney is threatening to tie up pay raises for the legislature if it does fails to act and the group behind the amendment says it will seek bar sanctions against attorney's at the legislature if the vote is not held.

The opposition mentioned above are part of the same people who attacked a woman at a rally. She was counter-protesting in favor of keeping the current pro-equality marriage laws already on the books in Massachusetts. The leader (story here) tackled the woman, shoved her face into the concrete and threatened her. Oh-and he is from the Catholic Church. It's so wrong-on so many levels.

On November 10 the legislature, meeting in a special joint session to consider the proposed amendment, recessed until January 2, without taking a vote.

The proposed amendment was the result of a signature gathering campaign mounted by conservative groups. More than the required number of names were collected, sending the issue to the Constitutional Convention where it needs only the support of only 50 lawmakers - 25 percent of the House and Senate - in two constitutional conventions for it to be put to voters in 2008.

If the convention fails to vote on January 2 - the final day of the current session - the proposed amendment would die and supporters would have to begin collecting signatures all over again in an attempt to place it before voters in 2010.

Even if the measure were to pass on January 2 it would need a second round of approval in the new session of legislature.

Romney, who leaves office in January and is expected to announce his candidacy for the GOP nomination for president, is reportedly preparing to play his final card in the battle over the amendment vote - refusing to sign automatic pay raises for lawmakers.

We shall see what happens. They really only have one day left, next Tuesday.

For more on the woman assaulted by the Catholic demonstrator:
Cathlolics Turning to Violence to Stop Equality
Update: The Violent Catholic

Labels: constitutional amendment, discrimination, gay rights, marriage, Massachusetts, mitt romney

Early next year, Rep. Marty Meehan (D, Mass.) announced that he will reintroduce legislation to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".

Rep. Meehan said that 112 Members of Congress from both parties have signed on to co-sponsor the bill, called the Military Readiness Enhancement Act. It is also important to note that, as we reported earlier, 3 out of 4 soldiers have no problems serving side-by-side with gay or lesbian soldiers.

"I will also be asking for the first Congressional hearings on gays in the military since 1993. I know that when my colleagues see and understand the evidence against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," they will be motivated to join me in the fight for repeal," Meehan said in a statement released by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

"We cannot afford to keep losing the talent and contribution of patriotic, gay Americans who want to serve. Our military success depends on having the best and brightest Americans in our armed forces. The best and brightest includes lesbian and gay Americans, too."

Since the ban on gays serving openly was implemented a decade ago more than 11,000 men and women have been dismissed under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" according to the Government Accountability Office.

The number of gays and lesbians who have attempted to enlist and rejected because they said they were gay is not known.

A study conducted last year for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network concluded that the U.S. military could attract as many as 41,000 new recruits if gays and lesbians in the military were able to be open about their sexual orientation.

We'll follow this one as it would be one of the largest positive changes at the federal level in a long, long time.

Labels: DADT, Massachusetts, military

This is an update to "Cathlolics Turning to Violence to Stop Equality".

Police have filed a criminal complaint against the executive director of Boston-based Catholic Citizenship on allegations he pushed a female counter-demonstrator to the ground and pushed her face into the concrete during an anti-gay marriage rally Saturday outside City Hall.

Detective Capt. Edward J. McGinn Jr. said police yesterday filed an assault and battery complaint in Central District Court against Larry Cirignano, 50, of 15 County Lane, Canton, who heads the Catholic Citizenship group, which opposes gay marriage. Continue here

I think that it is high time people start asking Raymond Flynn and Cardinal O'Maley what actions they intend on taking in this matter. Cirignano already publicly admitted to "escorting" Mrs. Loy, which amounts to assault. Unauthorized touching of another person is illegal, and he has made it clear he crossed that line, so the witnesses testimony will only serve to prove how far things went. Personally I would expect a man of Larry Cirignano's position to have a better understanding of the law than to put his hands on anyone at a rally like this when there were police there to control the crowd. Now he will have to face the consequences of his actions, whether he comes clean on the truth or not.

via TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF and Live, Love, and Learn

Labels: Catholic, constitutional amendment, crimes, Massachusetts

Sarah Loy, 27, went to a rally organized by VoteOnMarriage in front of Worcester City Hall, west of Boston, on the weekend. The demonstration was one of several behind held on weekends throughout Massachusetts aimed at pressuring the Legislature to vote on the proposed amendment.

At a lectern Larry Cirignano, leader of the Boston-based Catholic Citizenship group had just finished leading the Pledge of Allegiance when he spotted Loy near the front of the crowd with other supporters of gay marriage staging a counter protest.

Loy was carrying a sign reading "No discrimination in the Constitution". Other members of her group were yelling “You lost, go home, get over it," at the crowd.

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports that Cirignano rushed from behind the lectern and tackled Loy to the ground. "You need to get out. You need to get out of here right now," he allegedly told her as her head was pushed into the concrete sidewalk.

As Loy lay bruised and bloodied on the sidewalk Cirignano reportedly returned to lectern, joining other leaders of the protest in condemning same-sex marriage and demanding the proposed amendment be put on the ballot.

Other members of her group helped Loy from the scene. Loy who is straight and a supporter of same-sex marriage, had gone to the protest with her husband David.

Police have interviewed Loy and others on the both sides of the marriage issue and charges may be laid.

Gay activist Tom Lang said this rally seemed to have a different component from others the groups held in previous weeks. "The Catholic Citizenship/VoteOnMarriage supporters seemed to be angry and aggressive," he said.

Lang operates KnowThyNeighbor.org which has listed the names of the 170,000 people who signed petitions in support of the proposed amendment.

Most of the speeches attacked lawmakers who voted to recess a joint session of the House and Senate to consider the amendment.

"Catholic Citizenship volunteers then handed out 'Wanted Posters' to onlookers which were printed out with Legislator's photos and home phone on them," said Lang.

Last weekend people who attended a VoteOnMarriage rally in Springfield were told they could not gather in front of city hall because they did not have a license. An LGBT civil rights organization had applied for a license and was granted one.

VoteOnMarriage was forced to hold its protest across the street while MassEquality staged its pro same-sex marriage demonstration at city hall.

Last month lawmakers refused to vote on the proposed amendment. The Legislature meeting in a special joint session called a Constitutional Convention recessed until January 2, without taking a vote.

January 2 is the final day in the current session and it is expected no vote will be held, effectively killing the measure.

Gov. Mitt Romney has asked the state's highest court for an order placing a proposed amendment that would ban same-sex marriage on the ballot without the approval of the legislature.

The case will be heard by the full Supreme Judicial Court on Wednesday.
Unless Romney is able to convince the court to force the legislature to act the proposed amendment is likely dead.

Meanwhile, VoteOnMarriage, made up of the Roman Catholic and evangelical church groups, has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the lawmakers of violating their constitutional duty when they voted to recess the Constitutional Convention.

via 365gay.com

Labels: Catholic, crimes, Massachusetts, violent

Massachusetts legislators today soundly rejected one constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, and recessed the Constitutional Convention until January, thereby effectively derailing a proposed ballot measure which would have ended marriage equality in Massachusetts.

By taking this action, the Legislature sided with the majority of people in Massachusetts who believe that marriage equality is good for families and communities and that it's time to move on to more pressing matters.

In addressing two proposed constitutional amendments that would have stripped away marriage rights for same-sex couples, legislators overwhelmingly defeated the first by a 196 to 0 vote. They then moved to end the debate altogether, thereby effectively terminating our opponents' drive to put a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the 2008 November ballot. That vote was 109 to 87.

That is amazing news from Massachusetts. I am seeing a trend here. Arizona defeated their proposed constitutional amendment on Tuesday, New Jersey ruled in favor of marriage equality and now the Massachusetts legislature has help up marriage rights for same-sex couples.

Labels: constitutional amendment, Massachusetts