Anti-gay marriage groups presented Duck and Run awards to 100 Massachusetts Legislators last Wednesday — a mock award for politicians who moved to delay voting on a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
The Massachusetts Family Institute and VoteOnMarriage.org awarded rubber ducks to senators and representatives who failed to vote on the amendment July 12, agreeing instead to recess until Nov. 9, when a vote is expected.
“It’s a humorous way to point fingers at legislators refusing to be accountable,” said VoteOnMarriage.org spokeswoman Lisa Barstow. “It shows political cowardice.”
According to Barstow, the rubber ducks represent the legislature ducking and running from the controversial issue.
The gay marriage amendment stems from the 2003 Supreme Judicial Court decision that legalized same-sex marriages in Massachusetts. Barstow said more than 170,000 registered voters signed a petition asking Massachusetts legislators to let the people — not the government — decide the issue on the 2008 ballots. The amendment must receive 50 legislative votes in two consecutive sessions in order to be placed on the 2008 ballot.
Supporters of the ban warned that legislators who are out of step with the masses will be removed from office.
“The legislature is caught between a rock and a hard place,” Barstow said. “When they are up for re-election in 2008, they’re hoping their constituents will forget how they voted. We won’t.”
“By repeatedly denying a vote, the legislature is threatening the system of public petition,” said Evelyn Reilly, director of public policy for the Massachusetts Family Institute.
“The people need to be able to vote on an important issue that affects us all,” Reilly continued. “Massachusetts will vote as other states have overwhelmingly voted, to uphold the natural definition of marriage between a man and a woman.”
Opponents of the gay marriage ban argue the amendment threatens civil liberties by stripping homosexuals of their right to marriage.
“We don’t think rights that protect families should be brought to a general vote,” said Matt Mctighe, political director for Mass Equality.
Mctighe said that, in the event the amendment passes, it would threaten the rights of the “more than 8,500 same-sex couples living in Massachusetts.”
Mctighe said Mass Equality — which he said “defends marriage between all people” and protects the rights of minorities and families alike — was not pleased with the prospect of a ban at all.