The gay marriage
fight in Massachusetts might not be over after all.
Opponents of same-sex marriages are seeking a ballot
question that would prevent gay and lesbian couples
from getting married in the state if their union
wouldn't be legal in their home state.
Brian Camenker of
the group Mass Resistance said Friday that lawmakers
and Gov. Deval Patrick bowed to the will of the "gay lobby"
last month by approving the repeal of a 1913 statute
that banned such marriages.
Patrick, the
state's first black governor and the father of a daughter
who recently announced she's a lesbian, said the 1913 law
had racial undertones from a period when interracial
marriage was discouraged.
"The legislature
and the governor changed our marriage laws to please
the well-connected minority and force a social experiment
into other states that's very offensive to a majority
of the people, at least the way the votes have been
going," Camenker said, referring to recent votes in
favor of gay marriage bans in other states.
He was
particularly critical of an emergency preamble attached to
the repeal. It bypassed a normal 90-day waiting period
and made the law effective immediately. Opponents
typically use the 90 days to present signatures and
delay the law until it can be put to a ballot vote.
"The fact that
this happened the way it happened just adds to the
sense of sleaziness and underhandedness of the whole
process," Camenker said.
The group will
need about 32,000 signatures to get its question on the
ballot.
Gay marriage
advocates who had celebrated the repeal said they were
disappointed but not surprised by the petition.
"I've learned
that when it comes to equality for gay and lesbian
people, the struggle is never over because there are certain
people that are just strongly opposed to any rights
for gay people. It's never shocking; it is
disappointing," said Marc Solomon of MassEquality.
Gay Massachusetts
residents have been allowed to legally marry since
2004. Opponents, such as former governor Mitt Romney, said
the 1913 law prevented Massachusetts from becoming the
"Las Vegas of same-sex marriage." California also
permits same-sex marriage and has no restriction on
out-of-state couples.
Mass Resistance
filed paperwork with the secretary of state's office on
Wednesday. The measure has been forwarded to the attorney
general's office for review.
The state
constitution prohibits referendum questions on subjects that
relate to religion, judges, the courts, particular
localities of the commonwealth, state appropriations,
and certain provisions of the constitution's
Declaration of Rights. State attorney general Martha
Coakley has 14 days to review the proposed question. (Glen
Johnson, AP)
