Victory for Families

Although there are many times I get frustrated with Massachusetts and Beacon Hill with it's shortsightedness, parochialism and fiscal irresponsibility, June 14th, 2007 is a day in which the Legislature truly shined.

40 years and two days after the Supreme Court decision in Loving v. Virginia threw out the Virginia anti-miscegenation law, it appears that the same concept of equal protection of all under the law will prevail. Massachusetts will continue to have the right of folks of the same gender to marry.

In some ways, Massachusetts had it's McGovern moment, righteousness in a time of discord, the moral high ground. I imagine in a few generations, people will look at such legislation as the Defense of Marriage Act in the same manner as they look at the Dred Scott decision, what the hell were they thinking?

Most people know and love at least one gay person. Even if they don't know it. Homophobia is a weird affliction, it is socialized in young men, you'll find few teenagers who don't have the affliction for example, I think most of us grow out of it. Some may be uncomfortable with the thought, particularly in the sexualization of it, the stereotypical image of a cruiser or flamboyant gay man or a "bullish" lesbian, but even then we grow to accept and condone others. Some religions and organizations obsess over it, my own religion for one, somehow skipping over the large percentage of our scriptures which instruct us to 'love our neighbor as ourselves" and to give sufficient alms to those who are less in need. I think the great multitude of people just want to be left alone, and will gladly leave others alone in exchange.

The Massachusetts state legislature refused to turn over the protection of civil rights to a mob and circus that accompanies all Massachusetts state ballot initiatives. Let the people vote is nice in theory and in fact if these folks are so inclined they likely can campaign and raise money to vote out those that voted against the amendment. That's how democracy works. Today I am proud of my rep., Mike Festa, an 'early adopter' of this movement towards equal right, my senator Thomas McGee and yes, to Republican senator Tisei who understood that a human's right to love and to be legally validated in that love transcends any party affiliation.

My marriage isn't devalued by gay folks being able to married, in some ways it actually makes more sense. Why shouldn't my mother have the same rights and privileges that I do? It's just right. Now honestly the libertarian in me says that government should be out of the marriage business altogether, allow civil contracts/partnerships for all but let the wedding and marriage business be that of churches, JP's, overpriced hotels, Filene's Basement and J. Lo.

As proud as I am of my state today, it's time to get down to the business at hand. Frankly, when I see the crowds on both sides, I wonder where they got the time to make all the signs, hang outside Beacon Hill, that adds up to a lot of vacation time. I hope the same energy can be spent on other affairs of the state; education, economic development, health care and infrastructure development.

As the Governor put so well,

"The folks on the other side of this question are still our brothers and sisters. And we need them tomorrow and the next day and the day after that if we are together going to confront and solve the challenges facing up economically or in the public schools or on broken roads and bridges and a health care system we are trying to reinvent and a whole list of other issues on which we must come together."