BOSTON - Another round in the Massachusetts gay marriage debate began Thursday, as activists both pro and con gathered at the Statehouse before lawmakers decided whether to support or sink a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
‘‘It’s not like we’re looking for something extra,” said Jeremy Spiegel of Stoughton as he stood on one side of Beacon Street holding a sign that read, ‘‘No Discrimination in the Constitution.” He added: ‘‘Same-sex couple just want the same rights as straight couples.”
But across the road, Travis Housman of Lynn had the opposite opinion. He said marriage historically has been between the sexes, not within them, but more fundamentally, he wanted the Legislature to allow state residents to vote on the matter in 2008.
Gay marriage supporters were working to kill the proposed amendment by forcing Thursday’s constitutional convention to recess without taking action on the proposal.
‘‘If we lose, we lose, but we want the right to vote on it,” Housman said.
The amendment needs the support of just 25 percent of the Legislature, or 50 lawmakers, to move forward. It must then be approved again in the next legislative session to wind up on the November 2008 ballot.
In 2002, former Senate President Thomas Birmingham adjourned the convention before a vote. Senate President Robert Travaglini has said he intended to bring the question to debate and resolution, but on Wednesday indicated he would entertain a motion by lawmakers to adjourn or recess before voting on the amendment. It would take 101 votes to recess or adjourn.
A vote to recess indicates lawmakers intend to reconvene the convention before year’s end, though it was not immediately clear if they would be required to do so. Adjournment would end the convention and kill the amendment.
2006-11-10
05:35:48
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