and you know you’ve got the right of way

The forces of reactionary bigotry in our lovely Commonwealth were dealt a blow today. The motion to place an amendment banning gay marriage on the ballot failed to meet the required number of votes in the Massachusetts legislature, thus derailing the process for a another couple of years, and given the public’s growing acceptance of same sex marriage in the state, possibly laid the matter to rest for good.

Of course, the losers are vowing to fight on, citing the 170,000 supporters of a gay marriage ban, whose signatures allowed the whole constitutional amendment process to get off the ground in the first place. 170,000 seems like a large figure, until one compares it to the total number of registered voters in Massachusetts, currently around the 4 million mark. Even though the supporters of the amendment got their legislative chance (previous attempts by the lawmakers to avoid the issue via procedural tricks were met with howls of rage) and lost fair and square, there’s still chattering from the likes of self-appointed expert on Catholicism and former Boston mayor Ray Flynn stating that the people “had their vote stolen from them.” I guess the insistence on proper procedure only counts if things go in one’s favor.

I’ve said it before, but civil rights should not be subject to public referendum. These attempts to cast the push for a ballot question banning gay marriage as a matter of “letting the people decide” is an utterly disgusting means of deflecting attention to the inherent bigotry of the cause. John and Joe or Julie and Jane having the legal right to get hitched has fuck all to do with the sanctity or security of my own marriage, and I can’t imagine any scenario where it could be otherwise. C’mon people, if you’re going to be narrow minded assholes, be forthright about it at least.

I know that today’s victory is a relatively modest one, limited to a single state with a reputation for being out of step with the rest of country. (Something I happen to be proud about.) Our former governor and aspiring Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, commented that today’s defeat highlights the need for a nationwide ban of gay marriage, which illustrates that even bigger battles lie ahead for those who believe in egalitarian principles.

For today, though, I’m going to bask in the glory of a well-won victory.

Perry Como – It’s a Good Day (from the Blast from the Past OST, 1999) – Every Thanksgiving, after Maura and I have made the familial and feasting rounds, we settle in and watch Blast from the Past on DVD. While I certainly appreciate the works of the talented Mr. Como, I consider myself more of a Ray Conniff man. Maura considers that “really depressing to think about.”

Boytronic – (I Want to Live) In Harmony (from The Working Model, 1983) – Fulfilling my quarterly Deutscher synthpop quota.

David Bowie – Modern Love (from Let’s Dance, 1983) – Free association memory time: 6th grade, Huffy BMX bike, the abandoned train tracks behind the lead burning plant, Mello Yello, Starfox joining the Avengers, a family trip to Washington DC, listening to WHTT – "Boston’s Hit Radio" – on a clunky Panasonic boombox…