Northampton, Mass. Church campaigns for gay marriages

February 17, 2007

NORTHAMPTON - At first glance, it looks like a photograph of a very large family gathering. Once legislators read the accompanying letter, however, they might be able to imagine this caption: "By the authority vested in me by the commonwealth of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you legally married."

The folks crowded into the shot taken at First Churches last month are some of the same-sex couples who have been married at the church and their children.

The Rev. Peter Ives arranged the photo-shoot as part of his church's campaign to lobby legislators to vote against putting a proposed amendment to ban same-sex marriage on the ballot next year. The amendment, which would define marriage as a pact between one man and one woman, has generated controversy, debate and even a lawsuit.

Last year, the Legislature voted twice to recess instead of dealing with the proposal.

As a result, a group called VoteOnMarriage .org sued lawmakers for $5 million, saying that they had abdicated their responsibility to put the matter before the public. The Arizona-based organization subsequently dropped the suit.

More:
http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2007/02/church-campaigns-for-gay-marriages.html

how an Arizona group has standing to sue in a Massachusetts court on a Massachusetts constitutional question?

it interferes with their ability to achieve and maintain an erection in Arizona.

you can tell just visiting that it's a liberal minded community...my favorite yarn store (Webs) is there..I'll have to visit more often!

As a position just came open at Smith that would be PERFECT for me, but because Mr. Laurel can't be assured of getting into UCONN's law school (he'll start applying in the fall), moving right now just isn't possible. We love NoHo and the western Massachusetts region.