Bay Windows - August 26, 2004
Laura Kiritsy, lkiritsy@baywindows.com.

The group also broke with its practice of endorsing only in legislative races to throw its support behind the candidacy of incumbent Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral, who is fending off a tough challenge from Boston City Councilor Steve Murphy.

But the focus of the endorsement meeting at the Harriet Tubman House in the South End was squarely on defeating a proposed constitutional amendment that would rescind marriage benefits for same-sex couples in the 2005-2006 legislative session. The Legislature ratified the amendment by a slim five vote margin at a constitutional convention in March; it must again win approval in the next session in order to be placed on the statewide ballot in 2006.

"The elections this year are going to hugely ... determine the outcome of the constitutional convention next year," MGLPC Co-Chair Arline Isaacson told about 30 MGLPC members who had gathered for the meeting. "There has never been an election more important to the GLBT community than this one that we're about to enter into."

The MGLPC's goal, said Isaacson, is to re-elect incumbents who voted against the amendment, elect supportive candidates to open seats - particularly those being vacated by supportive legislators - and to send a message to the Legislature by "knocking off" at least one incumbent who supported the amendment.

"So our theme tonight ... is to focus like a laser beam on what we need to do to win the next constitutional convention. All our recommendations that you'll be hearing about tonight will be informed by that and that alone," said Isaacson.

Underscoring that unity of purpose, the majority of the endorsements were agreed upon without protest. For instance, the group quickly voted to endorse 13 Senate incumbents who voted against the amendment in March.

But differences of opinion were raised as the process focused on several key primary races, most notably on whether to endorse incumbent state Rep. Tim Toomey. The Cambridge Democrat, who arrived prior to the start of the endorsement meeting with several sign-toting volunteers to introduce himself to MGLPC members, is facing a challenge from Avi Green for the 26th Middlesex District seat representing Cambridge and Somerville. Green, a 30-year-old Cambridge political operative who is well-known in progressive circles, has proven to be the toughest challenger in Toomey's 11 years as a state legislator. The endorsement meeting attracted several Green supporters who urged the MGLPC to support his candidacy.

Green is the more progressive candidate in the race, said Somerville activist Marty Martinez. "He not only supports my rights as a gay man, but he supports the way I believe around several other issues, including abortion. Avi Green is the pro-choice candidate in this race, Representative Toomey is pro-life. I also am firmly against the death penalty, and in the past Representative Toomey has supported the death penalty as a state legislator," Martinez explained. He also noted that the GLBT organizations OutSomerville and the Cambrdige Lavender Alliance have endorsed Green over Toomey.

Somerville resident Joe Beckman also raised objections to a Toomey endorsement, citing his ties to House Speaker Tom Finneran and accusing him of ignoring his Somerville constituency. He also criticized Toomey's support as co-chair of the Legislature's public safety committee for Somerville's gang ordinance - which, if passed, would give police the authority to arrest known gang members loitering in high crime areas - as evidence of his disregard for civil liberties.

Democratic state Rep. Liz Malia, a voting member of the MGLPC, defended Toomey. Though she respects Green's extensive work on progressive issues, said Malia, "I think that our political lives depend right now on the fact that we connect with and support the people who took chances, who supported us when they didn't always have to, but who also have been consistent in terms of their background." Malia also sits on the public safety committee and said that while she disagrees with Toomey on some policy issues, "he's one of the most respectful colleagues that I've worked with within the Statehouse. And I think that there's an incredible need at this point in time to build bridges and work together in an alliance that brings us all together."

Echoing Malia's statements, David Breen of Boston warned that not endorsing Toomey, who voted against the amendment throughout the constitutional convention, would reflect poorly on the gay community. "We have a state representative who took a courageous stand - for someone who had, you know, a stereotypical conservative background - who was willing to stand up and be counted in this vote," he noted. "And what kind of message will that send, not just to people in Somerville but across the state, that we would stab someone in the back who stood up for us? Across the state that would reverberate, around the state and in the papers, about what does the gay community do to our friends?

"And I think this is an opportunity now where we have the chance to stand up and stand behind someone who stood with us. ... This an opportunity for us to show that we support people who support us, and also [to] try to work with him," said Breen.

After a secret ballot Toomey won MGLPC's endorsement with 87 percent of the vote, more than the two-thirds required.

Debate also focused on the 8th Suffolk District, representing Boston's Back Bay and a portion of Cambridge, the seat currently held by staunch gay rights supporter Paul Demakis, whi is retiring. Back Bay resident Marty Walz, whose long list of endorsers includes Demakis, and a number of prominent GLBT activists and organizations, is vying for the Democratic nomination against Kristine Glynn of Beacon Hill. The winner will square off in the general election against openly gay Republican Richard Babson, also of Back Bay.

All of the candidates support same-sex marriage, prompting Isaacson to advocate that MGLPC either endorse each of them or stay out of the race. But in an informal pitch for the endorsement Walz attempted to distinguish herself from the other candidates, pledging not only support, but leadership, on gay issues.

"I've made this a priority in my campaign, I have talked about ... the issues of importance to this community throughout the campaign, I've tried to as a candidate, reflect what I think I would be like as a legislator, which is to be a leader, to be outspoken and to be very clear in my views and very consistent in being outspoken in my views," she stated. In a veiled jab at Babson, she also noted that she'd be free to take on Republican Gov. Mitt Romney, a gay marriage foe who is trying to increase his national profile. "He is not going to appreciate embarrassment in his own backyard from members of his own party," said Walz of the governor.

Babson also made the case for his endorsement, saying that as the only openly gay Republican candidate in the race and in order to provide balance to the nonpartisan MGLPC's list of endorsements, the group should support his candidacy. Countering Walz's charge that he would not stand up to the governor on the marriage issue, Babson said, "the [Mass.] GOP knows that I'm an openly gay, pro-choice, pro-same-sex marriage candidate and it's not an issue for me to stand up against the governor on something as essential as that."

Ultimately, however, Walz succeeded in winning the endorsement.

In other business, MGLPC voted in favor of a dual endorsement of openly gay candidates Sarah Peake and Molly Perdue in the Democratic primary for the Fourth Barnstable District seat representing Provincetown and other parts of lower Cape Cod. The candidates are vying to unseat Republican Rep. Shirley Gomes, who supported the constitutional amendment. The group endorsed Norfolk Town Selectman John McFeeley's Democratic primary bid to fill the House's Ninth Norfolk District seat that was vacated when Wrentham Republican Scott Brown ascended to the Senate in a March special election.

In his MGLPC candidate survey McFeeley shared the personal reasons for which he would "not allow or support any legislation that would diminish their rights or cause them to be second-class citizens."

"My wife's brother was gay and died of AIDS 12 years ago," he wrote. "I witnessed his suffering, at the same time his courage. Our son is gay and I wanted to make sure that he and his partner get the full benefits of the law that are provided to all people."

Choosing from a field of gay-friendly Democrats, MGLPC gave the nod to Angus McQuilken's primary bid for the Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex Senate seat, now held by Brown. McQuilken is seeking a rematch after narrowly losing to Brown, a staunch gay rights opponent, in the special election.

Cabral gets a boost

After several testimonials in support of Cabral, MGLPC voted to depart from its practice of only endorsing in legislative races to throw its support behind Cabral's candidacy for Suffolk County Sheriff. Having been appointed to the post by acting Gov. Jane Swift in 2002, Cabral, a longtime supporter of the GLBT community, is locked in an increasingly bitter primary race against Murphy, whose support for gay rights as a city councilor has been lukewarm. Speaking informally prior to the start of the meeting, Cabral voiced support for same-sex marriage, as well as her opposition to attempts to amend the constitution against it and "the use of the 1913 law that prevents nonresident gay couples from marrying in Massachusetts."

She also pledged to increase HIV treatment and prevention efforts among the inmate population and address the safety issues presented by transgender inmates. "So those are the issues that face me as sheriff but beyond those issues, there are many, many other issues that affect the gay and lesbian community for which I have been a strong voice and will continue to be a strong voice," she said.

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