MASS. ROMANTICS. The Massachusetts legislature has rejected the proposed constitutional amendment calling for the revocation of gay and lesbian marriage rights and the restoration of bigotry by a 151-45 vote. It should be noted that this is precisely the opposite of what was predicted by proponents of the countermobilization myth, people for whom it's never the right time for social change, etc. Goodridge, we were often informed, was going to be a crushing setback for gay equality, but less than 5 years later it's supported by an overwhelming vote in the legislature. The backlash, conversely, had been confined to states... that already overwhelmingly opposed gay marriage. Litigation is not, of course, appropriate in every situation, but sometimes it's effective. Gay rights is the kind of case where courts are likely to go first, and once they act 1) people realize that the predicted social apocalypse isn't occurring, and 2) legislators who may be reluctant to extend rights on a divisive issue are much less likely to revoke rights. --Scott Lemieux
