Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Signature drive to place 1913 repeal on the 2010 ballot fails

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Brian Camenker (aka MassResistance) thumbed his nose at the milquetoast haters of Mass Family Institute, and tilted at the windmill of a referendum petition drive to repeal the repeal of “the 1913 laws” that previously prevented gay out-of-staters from marrying in MA.  Did ya get all that? đŸ˜‰  Brian described the effort in these heroic terms.

This was a fight about principle – against overwhelming opposition and suppression from all sides.

He failed.  

Brian’s Silver Lining, the play by play, the perennial fundraising plea and my self-indulgent commentary here.  Bay Windows story here.  My favorite Brain quote:

It seemed like we had a lot more signatures.

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  1. This bit caught my eye:

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    The Archdiocese of Boston opposed the effort and took extraordinary steps to thwart it. They contacted every Catholic church in Massachusetts and told them not to allow petitions to be gathered there. Priests spoke from the pulpit against it, and ordered petition gatherers off the property.

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    p>I walked by some signature-collectors one Sunday morning a few weeks ago right in front of the Catholic Church that is just outside of Arlington Center, near the Regent Theatre.  Anyone know anything about that — were the signature gatherers there against the church’s wishes?  Or was that church defying the Archdiocese?

    • But since they were set up on the public sidewalk, the church couldn’t ask them to leave but did apparently run active interference.  Here is Brian’s Oct 17th email about that.

      [Picture caption] Strong dissuasion. Pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Arlington blocks petition table (on public sidewalk) as paritioners leave church. “The Bishops don’t support this” he told them.

      1.  Catholic churches across state oppose marriage petition gatherers, force off property.

      As we had feared, the long-anticipated Columbus Day weekend push for signatures in Catholic Churches across the state for the pro-marriage referendum was met with strong and forceful opposition by the very people we thought would be our biggest allies – the Catholic hierarchy. Although a few churches broke away and openly supported the signature drive, many churches across Massachusetts forced petitioners with clipboards off of church property — and priests told people not to sign the referendum.

      Many faithful Catholic activists were visibly distressed and several have complained to the Archdiocese. The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts has been particularly focal in support of the pro-marriage petition. In fact, almost all of the MassResistance activists who are organizing this are Catholic….

      As we reported in our last email, in July the four Catholic bishops had published a statement against the repeal, and last week the Cardinal personally signed our petition. But later, an Archdiocese official told MassResistance that the Cardinal had signed it “in a moment of weakness” and that the Archdiocese actually opposes the effort. Archdiocese officials then notified churches across the state by email and fax that they were not to allow signature gathering. On Sunday, many churches that had originally agreed to support it decided not to….

  2. I loved the list of excuses. He’s been blaming all his anti-GLBT chums for so long that it finally backfired on him. Now he’s surprised. Itty boo.

  3. …but he’s a cadaverous-looking SOB, isn’t he?

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    p>Oh, well. It’s Halloween.

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    p>I love the air of petulant betrayal when Brian relates how bosom friend Larry “Thug Who Beats Up Women” Cirignano stiffed the group to work out-of-state. Seems even he knew a dead issue when he saw it.

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    p>Time to bake a big gay schadenfreude pie! With extra cinnamon! LOL

  4. and interesting details about the church hierarchy’s official stance; what to make of that?… btw I was married at the Jesuit Urban Center on Harrison Ave in Boston–a now-closed church located on the edge of the South End and Roxbury–that was a vibrant worshiping community comprised of many, many, openly gay Catholics (gays were the majority, in fact, and that was something that was very important to me to support). I’ve since become so alienated from the church, realizing that having the desire to be an insider “change-agent” on issues like marriage equality/relationship equality and women being respected as equals (e.g. women becoming priests, language used during the services) is not enough to keep me actively engaged.

    • to the passage of the anti-gay amendments in FL, CA and AZ.  They have bigger fish to fry than the 1913 laws.

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