The "Ass" in Massachusets

#1

Published - Dec 07 2005 11:29AM CST || AP

BOSTON(AP) Supporters of a 2008 ballot initiative to eliminate gay marriage delivered petitions with more than 170,000 signatures to the secretary of state on Wednesday.

The move by the Massachusetts Family Institute and its supporters was the next step in their quest to overturn the 2003 court ruling that made Massachusetts the only state with gay marriage. The initiative also seeks to ban same-sex civil unions.

Of the more than 170,000 signatures, 147,000 were certified by local election clerks. Backers of the initiative needed only 65,825 certified signatures to qualify for the ballot.

"What does that tell us?" Kris Mineau, president of the Family Institute, said at a rally on Beacon Hill. "That the people of Massachusetts have not only spoken, they have shouted. And what are they shouting? `Let the people vote.'"

Because the gay marriage ballot question seeks to amend the state constitution, it also must win the backing of at least 50 members of the 200-seat Legislature in two successive legislative sessions before it can go on the 2008 ballot.

The Supreme Judicial Court ruling in November 2003 made Massachusetts the first state to allow gay marriage. The ruling took effect in May 2004, and thousands of gay and lesbian couples have since married.

The Legislature responded with a proposed constitutional amendment that would have banned gay marriage but allowed civil unions. That amendment won initial approval but failed earlier this year in a second round of voting.

Critics accused supporters of the petition of deceiving people into signing, in some cases having them first sign an unrelated petition on alcohol sales before flipping to a second petition without specifying that it was for the gay marriage ban.

"We believe there was no deception involved," Mineau said Wednesday. "This was a bipartisan event. There were no politics involved."

The Roman Catholic church supported the petition drive, as did Gov. Mitt Romney.

## 7-4-7 ##
---------------------- [ The AYHJA Network ] ----------------------

#2

i take it they are against gay marriage /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

#3

That's right up there where you're from, ain't it..? Gotta love it when stories like this hit close to home... :takeit: