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Marriage Post Massachusetts: The Nation One Year Later
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Marriage bells had rung before for gay and lesbian Americans—in San Francisco, Portland, even tiny New Paltz, New York—but those that began to peal in Massachusetts May 17, 2004 are the only ones that continue to ring today. But in fits and starts, the nation is moving closer to marriage equality for gay and lesbian Americans. The spring of gay weddings caused conservatives in Congress to step up the pace of “hearings” on the Federal Marriage Amendment ( FMA ) but the media soon tired of the sham and began to drift away. It was clear that the constitutional amendment, requiring a daunting two-thirds majority, had nowhere near the support to clear that hurdle. That became apparent to all when the Senate voted in July and supporters couldn’t even muster a simple majority let alone the 60 votes necessary to close off debate on the contentious issue. The procedural vote failed 48 to 50 and several Senators who voted yes on the technical rule indicated that they would have voted against the substance of the amendment. Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and running mate John Edwards were the only two Senators absent for the amendment vote. Kerry continued to waffle on the issue throughout the campaign; opposing the FMA as unnecessary, supporting the antigay amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution. And just recently he criticized the state Democratic Party for supporting the existing same-sex marriage law within that state. Stymied at the national level, social conservatives turned to the states with rhetoric of fears and lies on “the threat to traditional marriage” posed by gays and lesbians marrying. The backlash struck most forcefully on election day, primarily in the “red states” where they had used it as an organizing tool to turn out their vote for George W. Bush. By the time every vote had been counted, 13 states had amended their constitutions to declare that marriage is only between a man and a woman—no queers allowed. |
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