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A few days ago, I posted a short piece here in celebration of the recent vote in the Massachusetts legislature against a proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.Then a friend sent me a follow-up article worth sharing. It includes a statement by a lawmaker who voted against gay marriage when it first came up in Massachusetts, but has since changed her mind. As my friend pointed out in sending me the article, "it's encouraging to see that there are politicians out there who still listen to their constituents and actually think about an issue."
An excerpt:
"For me, what all this comes down to is this: Same gendered couples are taxpaying, law-abiding citizens, who are important community contributors, well-loved and well-respected by their families, friends, neighbors and employers. They deserve and are entitled to the same legal protections enjoyed by all others citizens of our state. This is the law of the Commonwealth, articulated by our Supreme Judicial Court in Goodrich v. The Department of Public Health, decided in November, 2003.
"Despite dire predictions, there has been no adverse societal impact from this decision and most people now express little concern about same gender marriage.
"Springfield and Western Massachusetts needs these families, and all our families, to help rebuild our neighborhoods and the peaceful and productive society to which I know, whatever our differences on some things, we all aspire. As a practical matter, I believe we simply cannot afford to marginalize our human resources. Most importantly, I feel strongly that no child should ever be made to feel "less than" or "second-best" nor should any of our children be exposed to a public campaign focused on adult matters of personal privacy. There is altogether too much unseemly information brought into our homes and schools already. It is in the best interests of our children that we accept fully these new families.
"I also want to address directly one of the more contentious issues in this debate: Same gender couples have been adopting children and building families here in the Commonwealth for about twenty years. In many instances, same gendered couples have adopted children with severe challenges, children no one else wanted, and they have worked miracles with them. These children would have lived lives of despair without these families. This underscores how we cannot afford to marginalize any of our people; make anyone second-class citizens. We are all precious resources to each other, and to generations yet to come."
Read the full article: One lawmaker, in her own words, who changed her vote on same-sex marriage
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