Two Thousand and Wait

Putting quotes around marriage, as in "same-sex 'marriage'", changes no one's reality. It makes as much sense as the store sign "FRESH" FISH.

Yet, the hypocrisy continues to rule in the anti-same-sex-marriage circles. A surprisingly concise and clear piece by Scott Helman appears in today's Boston Globe.

The gist of it is that the nasty folks at the Massachusetts Family Institute (MFI) realize that the 2006 ballot question is lost. They are supporting, driving the 2008 version, which outlaws new same-sex marriages, defines marriage as one-man/one-woman, and leaves the existing wedded homosexual couples (over 6,000) as cultural artifacts.

The unchristian self-proclaimed Christian MFI president was blunt about her pragmatism. MFI does not condone same-sex marriages, but in these thousands of cases makes an exception. "Most people recognize this reality. We are the only state that has same-sex marriages and so...that limits the directions we can take," said Kris Mineau.

Hardliners, such as the 2006 question sponsor Rep. Emil Goguen, seem to see the real issue as jerking away the marriage rights, even for those 6,000. "It's been like this for thousands of years..." blah, blah, blah.

Meanwhile, Goguen's version seems sure to lose in the current process. It needs a majority vote of both General Court houses to get on the ballot for 2006. The votes are not there and the 2008 question has fragmented support among the haters and the confused. The combined houses meet in Constitutional Convention on September 14th to vote.

Attorney General Tom Reilly has until the middle of next week to certify the 2008 question to permit MFI's minions to gather signatures to start its process. This version has constitutional issues and may also be doomed.

In addition, MassEquality has raised the issue of permitting existing same-sex marriages while forbidding future ones. The Globe quotes the organization's campaign director, Marty Rouse, as saying, "We believe that it's unconstitutional to have different classes of gay couples – some gay couples that can marry, some gay couples that can't marry, and some gay couples that can be married but if they get divorced they can't be married again."

Oh, reality can be so messy and intrusive.