Massachusetts and the ripple effect
Oct. 1st, 2004 08:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
topazLast week, the Massachusetts Speaker of the House, Thomas Finneran, announced his resignation from the statehouse, effective almost immediately. For the last few days, Sal DiMasi has been the speaker of the house.
Since this is considered local political news for Massachusetts, it hasn't been high on the radar for the rest of the country, but it is a very significant change that I believe has ripple-effect ramifications for the nation.
Tommy Finneran, in his eight years as Massachusetts Speaker, has consistently opposed equal rights measures for LBGT citizens in the Commonwealth. In particular, most recently, he was a key factor in this year's Constitutional Convention that ultimately voted in favor of an amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage. While the rest of the country is grappling with the question of whether and how to block recognition of same-sex marriages performed in Massachusetts, Massachusetts is still deciding whether to continue performing them at all. A constitutional amendment that prohibited same-sex marriage would make the question moot for the rest of the country (at least until another state picks up the question).
Ratifying an amendment to the Massachusetts constitution is not easy. The state legislature must pass the amendment at two successive Constitutional Conventions, after which the amendment goes to referendum and must receive a majority vote of the electorate. Last February we held the first of the constitutional conventions. The amendment must pass another convention this year before going to popular vote in 2006.
Under Finneran's leadership, it was practically guaranteed that the ConCon would be held, and very likely that the legislature would vote in favor of the amendment for a second time. Sal DiMasi, however, has been a consistent supporter of gay rights in Massachusetts for years, and vocally opposed the constitutional amendment when it was proposed. With DiMasi as the speaker of the house I think it is possible that the legislature will not even hold a constitutional convention; even if it is, the conservatives will have much more difficulty keeping their coalition together.
It may have gone unnoticed by the rest of the country, but same-sex marriage opponents suffered a significant blow last week.
Since this is considered local political news for Massachusetts, it hasn't been high on the radar for the rest of the country, but it is a very significant change that I believe has ripple-effect ramifications for the nation.
Tommy Finneran, in his eight years as Massachusetts Speaker, has consistently opposed equal rights measures for LBGT citizens in the Commonwealth. In particular, most recently, he was a key factor in this year's Constitutional Convention that ultimately voted in favor of an amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage. While the rest of the country is grappling with the question of whether and how to block recognition of same-sex marriages performed in Massachusetts, Massachusetts is still deciding whether to continue performing them at all. A constitutional amendment that prohibited same-sex marriage would make the question moot for the rest of the country (at least until another state picks up the question).
Ratifying an amendment to the Massachusetts constitution is not easy. The state legislature must pass the amendment at two successive Constitutional Conventions, after which the amendment goes to referendum and must receive a majority vote of the electorate. Last February we held the first of the constitutional conventions. The amendment must pass another convention this year before going to popular vote in 2006.
Under Finneran's leadership, it was practically guaranteed that the ConCon would be held, and very likely that the legislature would vote in favor of the amendment for a second time. Sal DiMasi, however, has been a consistent supporter of gay rights in Massachusetts for years, and vocally opposed the constitutional amendment when it was proposed. With DiMasi as the speaker of the house I think it is possible that the legislature will not even hold a constitutional convention; even if it is, the conservatives will have much more difficulty keeping their coalition together.
It may have gone unnoticed by the rest of the country, but same-sex marriage opponents suffered a significant blow last week.
