Can Mass. dodge marriage?A year ago it might have seemed that only a remarkable turn of events would have had conservative lawmakers in Massachusetts clamoring clam·or n. 1. A loud outcry; a hubbub. 2. A vehement expression of discontent or protest: a clamor in the press for pollution control. 3. A loud sustained noise. to pass a civil unions bill. But that's what's happening now in response to the Massachusetts supreme judicial court's November rifling that the state's ban on same-sex marriage Noun 1. same-sex marriage - two people of the same sex who live together as a family; "the legal status of same-sex marriages has been hotly debated" couple, twosome, duet, duo - a pair who associate with one another; "the engaged couple"; "an inseparable is unconstitutional unconstitutional adj. referring to a statute, governmental conduct, court decision or private contract (such as a covenant which purports to limit transfer of real property only to Caucasians) which violate one or more provisions of the U. S. Constitution. . With the court having ordered the legislature to come up with some sort of remedy, lawmakers have presented a civil unions bill to the court for review and plan to push the idea during legislative sessions in February. Gay and lesbian activists, however, aren't buying it. "I acknowledge that civil unions are very meaningful, but it is an obvious error to equate them to marriage," said Mary Bonauto, an attorney for Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders Founded in 1978, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) is a non-profit legal rights organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status, and gender identity and expression. who argued the Massachusetts case. She said the court's decision was unambiguous, mandating nothing less than equal marriage rights. |
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