Lee Duigon
January 12, 2005

Will Massachusetts still have "gay marriage" by the end of this year?

The Article 8 Alliance and its allies in the state legislature have a plan to abolish homosexual "marriage," this year if possible — not only abolish it in Massachusetts, but declare null and void the several thousand "gay marriages" that have been performed there since the state Supreme Judicial Court "legalized" it by judicial fiat almost a year ago.

"We're way ahead of where we were on this last year," said Brian Camenker, Article 8's executive director. "More and more legislators are agreeing with us and will vote for us when these bills get to the floor."

Four Bills to Kill 'Gay Marriage'
First on the list is the bill of address — a unique feature of the Massachusetts Constitution that allows the legislature, by a simple majority vote, to remove a judge from office.

The bill's target is Margaret Marshall, Chief Justice. Marshall cast the deciding vote in a 4-3 decision establishing homosexual "marriage." This occurred after Marshall appeared at homosexual fundraising events to voice her support for their campaign and to invite them to bring a case to her court, where she promised to rule in their favor. Marshall blatantly violated state rules of judicial conduct, Camenker said, in addition to "twisting the law to impose her own social and political agenda." The bill of address seeks to remove Marshall, plus the three associate justices who voted with her.

The second bill would officially, in statute, define marriage as "one man and one woman." "Any other relationship shall not be recognized as a marriage or its legal equivalent," says the draft version of the bill.

The third bill would nullify the "gay marriages" performed in Massachusetts since last spring. All would be declared "without statutory basis; and no marriage performed in Massachusetts will be considered legally binding which is not established by Massachusetts statute, notwithstanding licensing through" any public officials, reads the bill.

The final bill (this one with 16 co-sponsors) would strengthen the Parental Notification Law by requiring parents to enroll their children in school-sanctioned programs and activities involving "human sexuality issues," rather than putting the onus on parents to withdraw their children from such programs.

"This will stop the homosexual agenda in the public schools," Camenker said, "by giving parents the power, and not the gay activists. Parents would no longer have to struggle to opt-out their kids — if they can — but choose to opt in. Last year the homosexual lobby fought this bitterly. This year we'll win."

"No public school teacher or administrator shall be required to participate in any such curriculum, programs, or activities that violate his or her religious beliefs," the bill adds.

High School 'Gay Day'
Camenker has a son at Newton North High School in Newtonville. Last month he and another school parent, Kim Cariani, brought a video camera to a school event called "BGLAD: Transgender, Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Awareness Day."

The school principal, backed up by four police officers, ordered the parents to leave or be arrested for trespassing.

"The principal demanded the videotape, but we didn't give it to him," Camenker said. "So we've got 10 or 15 minutes of the most embarrassing stuff on tape."

BGLAD events included

*School officials proclaiming that 10 percent of the student population is non-heterosexual — a falsehood

*Students reading "original pieces about GLBT issues"

*A seminar on "gays in sports"

*Various redefinitions of the family

*Attempts to equate sexual behavior with race as a form of personal identity

"Even without our videotape, the whole thing was published in the school newspaper in all its glorious detail," Camenker said.

If it was in the school paper, why didn't more parents object?

"I don't think more than 5 percent of the parents look at the paper," Camenker said. "Parents still don't know what's going on in the public schools. And those who do know, don't know what to do about it. The gay activists really intimidate anyone who challenges them."

But Camenker still voices optimism when it comes to rolling back the homosexual revolution. Article 8's lobbying campaign has made him hopeful, he said.

"We've been talking to the legislators," he said, "and we've made progress since the elections. Many, many more legislators than last year said they've had enough. They'll vote with us."

Massachusetts' current legislative session has just begun, and the pro-family forces are almost ready.

"Just a little more time to prepare, and we'll be there," Camenker said.