If you live in Massachusetts, it's not hyperbole to say that Attorney General Tom Reilly, a longtime friend to this community, holds in his stead the fate of full legal recognition of same-sex relationships in this state. Because it is Tom Reilly who will decide if the proposed anti-gay ballot question seeking to codify discrimination into the state Constitution will be allowed to happen at all -- and if it does move forward how it will be presented to voters.
These are important questions because the ballot question doesn't just ban gay marriages, though that's bad enough on its face. It would actually prevent state and local governments from passing laws in the future that afford positive recognition of same-sex relationships. You can't get married. Laws cannot be passed to grant equality in any area for you and whom you choose to love.
No matter how hard you worked to elect gay or pro-gay officials, no matter how many times you voted, it would be hopeless because the Constitution -- the final word on these matters -- would forbid that you be afforded equal rights.
Some sourpusses in this community like to say we have nothing in common save for how we choose to have sex. Well, we have this in common: This is the most important test of our strength and our unity and our resolve in all the time we've been fighting this fight. We lose this, and we've lost totally, with finality.
As for Reilly, some are concerned that he, with his higher political aspirations (Gov. Reilly, anyone?) is loathe to be too visible on the ballot question which most people have mistakenly assumed is only about gay marriage. The right-wing wants to word the ballot question so that everyone is kept in the dark -- because if most people knew what they were actually voting on is a wholesale constitutional outlawing of equal rights for gays, it would be easily defeated.
So they are exerting enormous pressure on Reilly to word the question their way -- otherwise they will paint him as the guy who's soft on gay marriage. That is likely to be enough to spook most politicians these days. In case you haven't noticed, there isn't must courage to spread around on this issue from Democrats or Republicans.
But courage is exactly what we need from Reilly. Now. If we ever needed him to be a visionary who sees history and not just votes, now is the time. You need to call him as soon as possible at (617) 727-2200 and tell him you want him to be a statesman.
As the chief civil rights watchdog in our state, he would never entertain someone who came to him and proposed amending the Constitution to allow making blacks, Jews or any other group strangers to entire areas of the laws that protect and nurture the rest of society. But because it's gays, and because the radical religious Right has framed this only in terms of marriage, Reilly is actually negotiating with them.
If Reilly sells us out, it will come back to haunt him. I know I will never let him forget it. But he may do it if you don't make your voice heard. To paraphrase Bette Midler and a famous quote that endeared her to gays of that shame-filled era forever: Stick up for yourselves! Don't you people get tired of being walked on?
Let Tom Reilly know that we expect him to enforce our civil rights. Tell Tom Reilly to show courage in the face of expediency. Let Tom Reilly know you are watching to see if he knows right from wrong on our issues..
(Jeff Epperly is the editor of Bay Windows. His e-mail address is jepperly@baywindows.com. Letters to the editor for publication can be sent to letters@baywindows.com.)