The fight for same-sex marriage in Massachusetts has certainly illustrated that legislators (and the populace) can change their minds about issues: when the legislature first addressed the issue three years ago, there were only 101 legislators out of 200 willing to vote to kill an amendment that would have banned both same-sex marriage and civil unions. On Thursday, there were 151 in favor of keeping full-fledged marriage for same-sex couples.
Opinion polls have been fairly consistent in Massachusetts that majorities favor same-sex marriage as well--in a state where the Catholic Church used to carry a lot of political sway and still has many adherents, this is real progress.
My favorite scene in the days leading up to the vote was when three bishops, plus Cardinal O'Malley, called for the legislature to approve the proposed amendment and send it to the voters in the name of democracy. And they say that the clergy have lost their comedic touch.
http://tinyurl.com/2on5sx "Because it involves issues of utmost social importance, extending far beyond questions strictly legal, the marriage debate should not be reserved only to lawyers and lawmakers," the letter said, continuing with, "Every citizen has a stake in the outcome, because every citizen has a stake in the well-being of the family."
--tim francis-wright