Impotent Threats on SSM. Group Won't File Papers for Gay Marriage Ban

[Ian David]

That sound from deep in the well is the Massachusetts Family Institutes's battle cry. The dwindling party of anti-gay, anti-same-sex-marriage forces who lost their last stand at the Constitutional Convention in June still can make muffled shrieks.

<snip>

MFI is spinning its withdrawal from the petition business. According to several sources, including WBUR, the nasties admit they can't get it together for a 2010 ballot drive. With the voters and legislature having moved on and back into the real world, and with every poll showing increasing majority acceptance of same-sex marriage, MFI is toast. It will be fascinating to see if they can milk more money from their previous supporters.

According to today's Boston Globe, FMI President Kris Mineau continues to push the fantasy that they will oust the pro-equality legislators and create a group that will pass their regressive, repressive platform. Apparently that would ideally be the 75% plus of the combined two houses on Beacon Hill.

However, he may have noticed that the last time they targeted pro-marriage-equality legislators, every one of MFI's candidates lost and every gay-friendly one won. Meanwhile, the legislator and voters have turned to education, health, highways and other pressing issues. Finally, the host of pro-equality allies did not disappear when the good guys one.

More:
http://massmarrier.blogspot.com/2007/07/impotent-threats-on-ssm.html


See also:

Group Won't File Papers for Gay Marriage Ban
By Adrienne LaFrance

BOSTON, Mass. - July 23, 2007 - The group behind a failed attempt to have Massachusetts citizens to vote on banning gay marriage in the state said it will not file the necessary paperwork to try to put the issue on the 2010 ballot.

Voteonmarriage.org pushed for a constitutional amendment question to ban gay marriage on the next statewide election, but state lawmakers voted last month to block its advancement to the 2008 ballot.

"By no means does this mean that we're giving up on the marriage amendment," Voteonmarriage.org president Kris Mineau said. "Voteonmarriage will stay in business and we will continue to work so that people can have the opportunity to vote on this issue."

Mineau said it wouldn't be practical to file the paperwork so soon after state lawmakers voted it down.

More:
http://www.wbur.org/news/2007/68972_20070723.asp


Also:

Gay-union foes vow to target legislators

By Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff | July 24, 2007


<snip>

The group vowed to publish voter guides and urge its members to unseat lawmakers who opposed the amendment, especially those who campaigned in favor of a gay-marriage ban, but changed their minds.

After the June vote, Secretary of State William F. Galvin said the issue could not be placed before voters again until at least 2012.

MassEquality, a coalition that supports gay marriage, said that the opponents' announcement yesterday signaled that support for the referendum was "weak and dwindling."

<snip>

"Over 200,000 members of MassEquality will be there to strongly support every legislator who voted in support of equality," he said.

More:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/07/24/gay_union_foes_vow_to_target_legislators/

Cross-posted in the LGBT Forum.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=221&topic_id=54868&mesg_id=54868

[Tesha]

1. Unless the locusts and frogs show up or the Charles runs red with blood...

Unless the locusts and frogs show up or the Charles
runs red with blood, it's over. Gay Marriage was permitted
and has occurred many times with no obvious change in the
statewide tenor of *ANYTHING* at all. It's becoming common-
place. Nice gay couples who already lived in the neighbor-
hoods have gotten married and, except for a few noisy
garden parties, no one had any cause to take any notice
at all.

Short of someone establishing the Republic of Gilead,
it's a done deal and the yahoos might as well pack up
their tents and move to Dixie where they *MAY* not be
seen as nothing short of ignorant bigots.

Someday, maybe the rest of our nation will see the light.
But for now, at least *ALL* of New England offers either
full civil marriage or civil unions, and that's a nice
start.

Tesha