Waiting at the altar: if the excitement of the Massachusetts marriage ruling didn't leave you light-headed, waiting another 138 days (from the date of this magazine might."There's only one way to read this, from my perspective," says Mary Bonauto the day after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The SJC has the distinction of being the oldest continuously functioning appellate court in the Western Hemisphere. rifled that it was unconstitutional to exclude gay couples from marriage. "We won the right to marry." Bonauto, an attorney at the Boston organization 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. , was lead counsel in the case, so she could be excused for having a biased perspective. But most advocates for 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 say no excuse is necessary. "There's no wiggle room wiggle room n. Flexibility, as of options or interpretation: ambiguous wording that left some wiggle room for further negotiation. Noun 1. here," says David Buckel, director of Lambda Legal Lambda Legal (Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund) is a United States civil rights organization that focuses on gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education, and public policy work. Defense and Education Fund's Marriage Project and the lead attorney on a similar marriage case in New Jersey. "There's no ambiguity: Marriage is the remedy." And Evan Wolfson Evan Wolfson (b. February 4, 1957) is a prominent American civil rights attorney and advocate. He is the founder and executive director of Freedom to Marry, a national non-profit organization working for marriage equality between gay and straight couples. , executive director of New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of City-based Freedom to Marry, declares, "This is it, it's done--it's marriage!" Marriage opponents, however, find less clarity in the November 18 decision. The sticking point sticking point n. A point, issue, or situation that causes or is likely to cause an impasse. Noun 1. sticking point - a point at which an impasse arises in progress toward an agreement or a goal , they say, is the 180 days justices gave the legislature to respond to the ruling. They say the six-month stay is the court's way of providing lawmakers enough leeway to pass nonmarriage legislation--such as civil unions or domestic-partnership packages--and still meet its mandate. Republican governor Mitt Romney  This article or section contains information about one or more candidates in an upcoming or ongoing election.Content may change as the election approaches. immediately declared his opposition to the court's ruling. "Marriage is an institution between a man and a woman," he said in a prepared statement. "I will support an amendment to the Massachusetts constitution The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the fundamental governing document of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It was written by John Adams, Samuel Adams, and James Bowdoin. to make that expressly clear. Of course, we must provide basic civil rights mid appropriate benefits to nontraditional couples, but marriage is a special institution that should be reserved for a man and a woman." Romney has strong allies in the legislature, including the powerful speaker of the house, Democrat Tom Finneran, who also favors a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. A Finneran spokesman tells The Advocate, "We don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what the legislative response will be at this time. I don't think anyone does." Unlike in Alaska and Hawaii--where court rulings in favor of gay marriage were nullified nul·li·fy tr.v. nul·li·fied, nul·li·fy·ing, nul·li·fies 1. To make null; invalidate. 2. To counteract the force or effectiveness of. by legislative action amending those states' constitutions--it would take at least three years for such an amendment to take effect in Massachusetts. It first must, be approved during two legislative sessions (one in 2004 and another in 2005), and it then would have to go before voters--in November 2006 at the earliest. A joint session of the legislature, called a constitutional convention, has been scheduled for February 11 to take up the proposed amendment. Even some legal scholars supportive of same-sex marriage say the ruling could be interpreted to allow a solution that falls short of full marriage equality. "The coral said that those in same-sex rations have to be ensured the same privileges and responsibilities" as married heterosexuals, says Nathaniel Persily, a constitutional law professor at the University of Pennsylvania (body, education) University of Pennsylvania - The home of ENIAC and Machiavelli. http://upenn.edu/. Address: Philadelphia, PA, USA. . "It does not say it has to grant gay marriages per se." Adds Shari Levitan of the Boston-based law firm Holland and Knight: "I personally don't read civil unions as passing muster trader this court ruling. But who's to say the legislature won't purposely thumb its nose at the court and pass something like a civil unions bill just to force a showdown?" That's exactly what Greg Johnson Greg Johnson may refer to:
Emphasizing that the Massachusetts ruling is "a bold, courageous opinion" that represents the strongest American court statement on gay marriage, Johnson points to Hawaii, Alaska, and even Vermont in cautioning, "There is always a difference between legal intent and political reality. I don't think any of us knows what will happen in 180 days." But Bonauto is sure of one thing that will happen on May 16. "If gay and lesbian people can't walk through the doors and get marriage licenses," she says, "we'll be back in court." "I do"--do they? What the Democratic presidential hopefuls are saying about the Massachusetts ruling WESLEY CLARK (person) Wesley Clark - One of the designers of the Laboratory Instrument Computer at MIT who subsequently had a quiet hand in many seminal computing events, such as the development of the Internet, the first really good description of the metastability problem in computer logic. "I appreciate today's decision. As president, I would support giving gays and lesbians the legal rights that married couples get." JOHN EDWARDS This article or section contains information about one or more candidates in an upcoming or ongoing election.Content may change as the election approaches. "While I personally do not support gay marriage, I recognize that different states will address this in different ways." DICK GEPHARDT "While I support civil unions for same-sex couples, I also support the right for states to make decisions regarding the protections afforded same-sex couples. I do not support gay marriage." DENNIS KUCINICH This article or section contains information about one or more candidates in an upcoming or ongoing election.Content may change as the election approaches. "The effort by members of the Massachusetts state legislature A state legislature may refer to a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. The following legislatures exist in the following political subdivisions: JOE LIEBERMAN Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman (born February 24, 1942) is an American politician from Connecticut. Lieberman was first elected to the United States Senate in 1988, and was elected to his fourth term on November 7, 2006. In the 2000 U.S. "Although I am opposed to gay marriage, I have also long believed that states have the tight to adopt for themselves laws that allow same-sex unions." CAROL MOSELEY BRAUN Carol Elizabeth Moseley Braun (born August 16, 1947) is an American politician and lawyer who represented Illinois in the United States Senate from 1993 to 1999. She was the first, and to date, the only, African American woman elected to the United States Senate. "All of us--regardless of sexual orientation--stand to benefit from equal marriage rights because stable families strengthen oar communities and neighborhoods." AL SHARPTON "I applaud the Massachusetts court for having the courage to make the correct finding that all human beings should have equal access to civil rights and institutions, including the right to marry." MARRIAGE The players As Massachusetts goes where no state--or commonwealth--has gone before, these are people you can expect to be leading the debate advocates JARRETT BARRIOS WHO: Openly gay state senator POSITION: Vocal supporter of equal marriage rights ROLE: Could champion marriage legislation in the senate WHAT HE'S SAYING NOW: "I will join many of my state house colleagues in supporting the court's ruling to ensure that Massachusetts guarantees liberty and justice for all, regardless of sexual orientation sexual orientation n. The direction of one's sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes, especially a direction seen to be dictated by physiologic rather than sociologic forces. ." BARNEY FRANK WHO: Openly gay Democratic U.S. representative from Massachusetts POSITION: Strong proponent of equal civil marriage ROLE: Vocal opponent of a proposed amendment to the U.S. constitution to ban gay marriage WHAT HE'S SAYING NOW: The Massachusetts decision "will enhance the lives of probably thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of Massachusetts citizens and will have no negative effects on anyone else." PATRICK GUERRIERO WHO: Executive director of Log Cabin Republicans The Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) is a federated gay and lesbian political organization in the United States with state chapters and a national office in Washington, D.C. The group consists of gays and lesbians who are supporters of the Republican Party. , former Massachusetts legislator POSITION: Vocal proponent of equal marriage rights ROLE: Republican ray of fight WHAT HE'S SAYING NOW: "No church, synagogue, or mosque will be forced to recognize same-sex relationships. This ruling is about the responsibilities and rights that only government can confer with civil recognition." CHERYL JACQUES WHO: Departing Massachusetts state senator, incoming executive director of the Human Rights Campaign POSITION: Supports equal marriage rights ROLE: Her post at HRC HRC Human Rights Campaign HRC Human Rights Council (UN) HRC Human Rights Commission HRC Hard Rock Cafe HRC Hillary Rodham Clinton (democratic senator/presidential candidate; former first lady) and her Massachusetts roots put herin a unique position to fight for full marriage equality. WHAT SHE'S SAYING NOW: "After same-sex marriage is legalized, the vast majority of people will realize that nothing bad happened, that the sky did not fall." EVAN WOLFSON WHO: Executive director of Freedom to Marry POSITION: Leading activist for equal marriage fights ROLE: Go-to guy on gay marriage WHAT HE'S SAYING NOW: "They will make the same gloom-and-doom cries as they did when America ended race discrimination in marriage and women's subordination in marriage and got the government out of the business of deciding when people can use contraception. But the majority is going to see that no one is hurt by allowing gay people to marry." MARY BONAUTO WHO: Attorney from Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders who successfully argued the Massachusetts marriage case POSITION: Leading proponent of equal marriage rights ROLE: The go-to woman on gay marriage WHAT SHE'S SAYING NOW: "At long last, and lesbian families and their children will finally be equal families in the commonwealth." enemies GEORGE W. BUSH WHO: President of the United States The head of the Executive Branch, one of the three branches of the federal government. The U.S. Constitution sets relatively strict requirements about who may serve as president and for how long. POSITION: Opposes equal marriage rights ROLE: Has an antigay bully pulpit WHAT HE'S SAYING NOW: "I will work with congressional leaders and others to do what is legally necessary to defend the sanctity of marriage." THOMAS FINNERAN WHO: Democratic speaker of the slate house of representatives POSITION: Champion of an amendment to the state constitution to ban gay marriage ROLE: One of the state's most powerful politicians WHAT HE'S SAYING NOW: He has not commented on the ruling. RAY FLYNN WHO: U.S. ambassador to the Vatican and former mayor of Boston POSITION: Opposes gay marriage ROLE: An antimarriage White House representative to an antigay Vatican WHAT HE'S SAYING NOW: "Not only is this decision a Massachusetts decision, but this will affect the New Hampshire primary The New Hampshire primary is the first of a number of statewide political party primary elections held in the United States every four years, as part of the process of the Democratic and Republican parties choosing their candidate for the presidential elections on the subsequent and the election itself." SEAN n. 1. A seine. See Seine. O'MALLEY WHO: Catholic archbishop POSITION: Opposes equal marriage rights ROLE: The antigay Vatican's representative in Boston WHAT HE'S SAYING NOW: "It is alarming that the Supreme Judicial Court in this ruling has cast aside ... the very definition of marriage held by peoples for thousands of years." MITT ROMNEY WHO: Massachusetts governor POSITION: A Republican and a Mormon, he vows to veto arty bill granting equal marriage rights. ROLE: He could stymie sty·mie also sty·my tr.v. sty·mied , sty·mie·ing also sty·my·ing , sty·mies To thwart; stump: a problem in thermodynamics that stymied half the class. n. 1. any legislative attempts to abide by To stand to; to adhere; to maintain. See also: Abide the top court's ruling. WHAT HE'S SAYING NOW: "I agree with 3,000 years of recorded history. I disagree with the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. allies HOWARD DEAN WHO: Former Vermont governor and Democratic presidential aspirant POSITION: As governor he signed Vermont's civil unions law; as a presidential candidate he says he supports civil unions but opposes equal marriage rights. ROLE: Politicians and the media will turn to him for advice and perspective because of his experience and national platform. WHAT HE'S SAYING NOW: "This decision should be viewed as an opportunity to affirm what binds us together--a fundamental belief in the equality of human beings, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation." EDWARD KENNEDY WHO: U.S. senator from Massachusetts POSITION: Supports civil unions; has not taken a position on marriage ROLE: Vocal opponent of proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning same-sex marriage WHAT HE'S SAYING NOW: "It's wrong for any state to discriminate against gays and lesbians by denying them the many benefits and protections that the laws of the state provide for married couples." JOHN KERRY WHO: U.S. senator from Massachusetts and Democratic presidential hopeful POSITION: Opposes equal marriage fights but supports civil unions ROLE: Has a national forum to address the issue WHAT HE'S SAYING NOW: "While I continue to oppose gay marriage, I believe that [the ruling] calls on the Massachusetts state legislature to take action to ensure equal protection for gay couples. These protections are long overdue." MARGARET MARSHALL WHO: Massachusetts chief justice POSITION: Banning gay marriage is unconstitutional. ROLE: Will decide if the state legislature follows the constitution WHAT SHE'S SAYING NOW: "Barring an individual from the protections, benefits, and obligations of civil marriage solely because that person would marry a person of the same sex violates the Massachusetts constitution." |
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