Romney to call for the vote on marriage at rally

Romney to call for vote on gay marriage at rally
November 15, 2006
BOSTON --In a move to publicly pressure lawmakers who have so far ignored him, Gov. Mitt Romney plans to appear at a Statehouse rally on Sunday to demand the Legislature vote on a proposed ballot question that would end gay marriage in Massachusetts.
Lawmakers last week again refused to take up the question at a joint session, voting instead to recess until Jan. 2, which all but killed the measure because a vote then is unlikely.
Romney's spokesman, Eric Fehrnstrom, said the fight won't be over until the people vote.
"Legislators made a serious miscalculation," he said. "Their action strikes at the very heart of democracy. No matter how you may feel about the marriage issue, people have a right to participate in their own government."
Arline Isaacson of the Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus said Romney is using a rally for a lost cause to boost his prospects with conservatives as he weighs a presidential run.
"We're done, we won, it's over," Isaacson said. "No one wants this to continue except for the zealots on the other side and Romney because it helps his race."
Because the Legislature is in recess and did not adjourn, Romney has no legal authority to call lawmakers back into session. Gay marriage opponents say they are considering legal options to force a vote.
More than 170,000 people signed a petition in support of the ballot question, which would define marriage as only between a man and a woman. Supporters of the question say the state Constitution requires a vote, but lawmakers who support gay marriage say there's no such mandate.
A similar amendment on gay marriage died in 2002 when lawmakers refused to vote on it.
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