Democracy in Action

On Monday, May 20, the Boston Globe published this letter from Courting Equality author Karen Kahn:

CONGRATULATIONS TO California and all its lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens who have been recognized as equal citizens by the state’s Supreme Court. The California court affirmed its 1948 Perez decision recognizing that the choice of one’s marriage partner is a fundamental right, regardless of race or, in Thursday’s ruling, gender.

Perhaps Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute and an opponent of same-sex marriage, does not understand the workings of democracy (“Mass. activists on both sides ready to help,” Page A1, May 16). Here in Massachusetts, we spent four years fighting over the definition of marriage. Our highest court ruled that marriage discrimination was unconstitutional. Our Legislature, after hearing from thousands of citizens, voted to affirm freedom and liberty for all Massachusetts citizens. And Governor Deval Patrick worked hard to prevent discrimination from being written into our state constitution.

In California, the Legislature has twice voted in favor of same-sex marriage, but Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger refused to sign those bills without a decision from the court. Last week, he expressed his support for the ruling. But Mineau and his anti-gay allies call the court ruling undemocratic. Really? What I see in Massachusetts and California is that democracy moves inexorably toward equality for all.

Let’s make sure California’s residents understandÂ that writingÂ discrimination into thier state constitution would be an affront to “liberty and justice for all.”