Welcome Aboard, Maryland! And Good Luck!

Read in the papers where a brave judge in Maryland, Circuit Judge M. Brooke Murdock struck down a 33 year old law against gay marriage Friday declaring it violates the state constitution's guarantee of equal rights. She stayed her order immediately so that the state's attorney general could appeal to the Maryland Appeals Court, which he did that afternoon.

So far, Massachusetts is the only state in the United States which recognized the right for gay couple to marry, since May, 2004. More than another dozen states have reacted to Massachusetts' Goodridge decision by approving constitutional ammendments banning gay marriage, while Vermont and Connecticut provide for civil unions for gay couples, but not marriage. It makes a difference if you know people who are affected by these decisions. If you know folks who have lived together faithfully through good times and bad, raising kids, but then find that when their partner gets taken to the hospital, they aren't the one called. It's the estranged family who long-ago washed their hands of the partner, who get the call, and probably won't call the loved one either. This is a civil right matter, and matter of fairness and kindness. Good luck to the folks in Maryland!

So, here is a little song parody I wrote, if you know the musical Oklahoma, this goes to the title song:

Massachusetts! (to the tune Oklahoma!)


They couldn’t pick a better time to start in life
It ain’t too early, it’s just about right.
Starting’ as a woman with a brand new wife.
Soon be fightin’ in a brand new fight –
Brand new fight,
Gonna be tight!

Gonna try amendments,
Statutes and the fed’rals.
Bringin’ in protesters,
Media, an’ in gen’ral
Makin’ a stink about our private lives.
Kickin’ up dust over little gay dives.
We won’t gripe if you choose life straight.
Why are you filled with such gay hate?

Mass – a -- chusetts,
Where our swans are Juliets it seems!
Where the SJC
Says gays can wed
And the cops can’t roust us out of bed!
Mass – a – chusetts!
Someday soon my honey lamb and I’ll
Raise a fervent prayer
We live someplace where
We can choose to walk a wedding aisle!
We know we owe a special debt
To the plaintiffs in the case that let
Eeowr! Supreme Judicial Court
Find our right to wed’s
A civil right, Mass -- a -- chusetts,
Mass -- a -- chu -- setts, Thank God!


The beautiful swans are courtesy of www.indianspringswildlife.org/