Glimmers of hope: the election of pro-gay lawmakers ends the threat of a backlash in Massachusetts

After Vermont legislators passed that state's landmark civil unions law in 2000, a powerful antigay campaign dubbed "Take Back Vermont" resulted in 17 pro-civil union lawmakers losing their seats. Massachusetts gays, who won the right to marry earlier this year, were worried about a similar backlash on November 2: Last March, 92 legislators voted against a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. The proposal, which barely passed, must be voted on again next year, and antigay forces mounted a strong campaign to oust those who oppose it.

"Four years ago many Vermont legislators were not prepared for the backlash from the voters," said Marty Rouse, campaign director for MassEquality, the umbrella organization for advocates of marriage equality. "This time in Massachusetts [we were] prepared with volunteers, expertise, and donations."

The result: All the pro-gay lawmakers were reelected, and two openly gay candidates were newly elected to the legislature. Opponents favoring the ban, including state governor Mitt Romney, "sought to foment the kind of backlash experienced in Vermont," Rouse said. "But they were unsuccessful."

Marc Solomon, political director for MassEquality, said one of the most notable victories was that of Carl Sciortino, an openly gay man from Somerville, a suburb of Boston. Sciortino not only defeated antigay Democratic incumbent Vincent Ciampa in the legislative primaries, he redefeated him with 67% of the vote in the general election after Ciampa launched a write-in campaign that labeled Sciortino "a homosexual anti-Catholic extremist." Joining Sciortino in the state legislature will be out lesbian Liz Malia, who ran unopposed for the state house, and openly gay state senator Jarrett Barrios, who retained his seat.

Other important victories included those of several nongay candidates who stood up against the amendment. State senator Marian Walsh, a devout Catholic from Boston's West Roxbury neighborhood, won with 64% of the vote despite becoming a target of the Catholic Church. And gay-friendly Democrat Karen Spilka of Framingham won a senate seat with 57% of the vote. "I talked with thousands of voters on the campaign trail, and I can count on one hand the number that said they were opposing me because of my position on gay marriage," Spilka said. "My voters are concerned about affordable health care, jobs, and quality of schools. The vast majority are not troubled with committed same-sex couples who choose to get married."

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