down a potential amendment to the state
constitution declaring marriage to be between
a man and a woman. According to the NY Times,
the soonest such a petition could be brought
for a vote is 2012. My favorite line of the article:
Senator Gale D. Candaras, a Democrat, voted against the amendment Thursday, although she had supported it as a state representative in January. Ms. Candaras said her vote reflected constituent views in her larger, more progressive Senate district and her fear of a vicious referendum campaign.
Most moving, she said, were older constituents who had changed their views after meeting gay men and lesbians. One woman had “asked me to put it on the ballot for a vote, but since then a lovely couple moved in,” Ms. Candaras said. “She said, ‘They help me with my lawn, and if there can’t be marriage in Massachusetts, they’ll leave and they can’t help me with my lawn.”
Indeed, the biggest indicator of a change toward
pro-Gay rights was if the congressperson had got to
know gay people. Go figure...
I am not too surprised by the comments. It is usually the case that people are more accepting of differences in people if they actually know the people personally.
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