Mass. supporters of same-sex marriage decry Calif. decision
Boston Globe, by Matt Byrne
May 27, 2009
More than 200 angry demonstrators gathered at Copley Square Plaza yesterday to protest the decision handed down by the California Supreme Court to uphold Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that repealed legalized same-sex marriage in the state.
The protest was organized by a local chapter of Join the Impact, a recently formed group of gay and transgender rights activists.
Paul Sousa, a member who helped organize the rally, said the gathering was planned in advance as either a celebration or a condemnation of the California decision to coincide with similar rallies around the country.
Yesterday's demonstration featured an 8-foot tall black cardboard coffin looming over the proceedings as a symbol of the "death" of marriage rights in California.
In spite of this, Sousa said the rally was an opportunity to spread awareness about initiatives in legislatures around New England that would offer same-sex marriage rights, such as in New Hampshire, where the legislation is still pending. Same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts.
A handful of speakers addressed the crowd, including state Representative Carl M. Sciortino Jr., a Somerville Democrat who said the decision essentially divides Californians into three classes: married heterosexuals who enjoy full marriage rights, about 18,000 same-sex couples married before Proposition 8 passed who will remain married after the court protected them, and same-sex couples who can no longer marry.
"We may have lost the court case today but we are on the right side of history and we will win," said Sciortino, who called the decision absurd.
"Right here in Massachusetts we need to remember that we are not equal until we are all equal."
James Caroline, a slam poet who lives in Somerville, read a highly energized poem that drew cheers.
Although he was disappointed in the California high court's decision, he said he thinks the outcome could eventually be positive.
"I kind of expected the outcome," Caroline said. "I think in the end, this will be better because it will take it to the federal level."
Sousa said he looks forward to fighting against the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law passed in 1996 that defines marriage as between one man and one woman, and that also frees states without legalized same-sex marriage from recognizing married same-sex couples from other states.
"We only have marriage equality on the state level and [President] Obama will be put to the test on that," he said, referring to possible future efforts by the president to amend the law.