Mass. Voters May
Decide Out-of-State Marriage Ban

The Massachusetts legislature's decision in June to lift the ban on marriages performed for out-of-state same-sex couples may be contested in 2010. Massachusetts attorney general Martha Coakley has given the go-ahead to a ballot measure that will ask voters if the law should be reinstated, according to the Boston Herald.

Coakley authorized the proposal with hesitation, saying the "decision that this referendum meets the constitutional requirements as to subject matter does not mean that it has our support, but simply that the constitutional requirements are met for the proponents of the referendum to obtain further signatures."

MassResistance, the organization committed to reinstating the 1913 law, has met nearly all requirements in order to form a ballot question. Its next step is to gather 33,000 signatures by October 31. If it can achieve that goal, the question will appear on the 2010 ballot.

"I don't think we're going to have much trouble getting the signatures," MassResistance president Brian Camenker told Metro International.

Gov. Deval Patrick told the Herald Monday that this same law, which former governor Mitt Romney invoked to prevent nonresident gay and lesbian couples from marrying in the state, was originally instituted to impede interracial marriage. (The Advocate)