Gay Marriage Ban Edges Closer to Ballot

The Legislature passed the proposed amendment to ban on gay marriage on the 2008 ballot. Even though 134 legislators don't want the ban on the ballot, all it takes is 50 legislators to move the amendment forward, and 62 legislators voted "yes."

This is a setback, not just for those who deserve the right to marry whomever they want but also for Deval Patrick, who took a strong stand against the amendment, using tough talk that he rarely rolled out during his campaign. He said, "I want to be utterly clear that I believe a vote to advance this question to the 2008 ballot is irresponsible and wrong." There was no waffling on Patrick's part, which is a good sign for the future.

But "irresponsible and wrong" be darned if a certain Lame Duck Governor wants the Oval Office. The big winner in all of this - with the exception of smug social conservatives - is Mitt Romney, who has successfully impaled human rights on the sword of his presidential ambitions. Perhaps it will all blow back in his face if the legislators vote against the ban in a second session, which is required before the amendment appears on the 2008 ballot. But it's not looking likely, as Blue Mass Group's numbers indicate.

As icing on the cake, the Legislature turned cheap-ass and didn't broadcast the vote on WGBH. This is the kind of issue about which constituents care deeply. Supposedly the Legislature is streaming the coverage online, but Bay Windows and Universal Hub noted that they are having serious problems when they try to watch it. The Legislature can't cut corners on these things. They should either dump Bob 'n' Chuck's Video-Streaming Shack, or go back to WGBH.

Screengrab of pro-gay-marriage protesters from NECN.