Boston, MA,
June 18, 2004: "It is
the height of irony," Marsha Ponyup said to our reporter today,
"that after I was away with the Mounted Troops in Iraq, and my
little filly Hortense was home minding the foals, that now, even
though we were officially wed in his state, Governor Romney wants to
nullify our NIPtuals. How can he deny us the rights of
protection for each other that muttrimony provide, in case something
happens to one of us, after we gave so much to protect our
homeland?"
The
same question is being echoed by nine other diverse couples -- a
pair each of poodles, frogs, ducks, Persian cats, otters, turtles,
cows, pigs and billy goats. All live in states other than
Massachusetts, but flocked here to be able to wed the mate of their
choice when the state made same sex ceremonies legal. Now that
the governor has said such marriages are null and void, using an
arcane law citing out of state residents cannot legally wed in
Massachusetts after all, the couples are leading a fight to overturn
the ruling.
Harold Thornview, who
heads the firm Gay Lambs Are
Legal, in Los Angeles (see our May 11 editorial, "OK,
Now We Know Where It's Coming From"), has signed on as head
counsel for the plaintiffs. "We are here to buck up the rights
of our gay citizens to be taken care of. Marriage should offer the
same benefits to them as it does to straight couples, and the
governor should not kick out those rights just because our clients
live out of state. There is no justification for the governor to renege on the original offer his state made to same sex
couples! We will argue that the old law, written in the early
20th century, is completely outdated by modern life, and that a
promise made by the state cannot be rescinded."
Among the couples
named in
the lawsuit are Harry and Tommy Turtle, who live in Rhode Island,
very close to the state line. "We have lived just a stone's
throw away from Massachusetts all our lives," Tommy told us. "We met at a pond just over the border sixty years ago, and
frequently go back to soak up the memories, and flies, to remind us
of our youth. It's a place quite dear to our hearts. The
governor is breaking these hearts, and we really hope to de-feet
him!"
It is hard to tell
how the case will be decided, but it is important indeed to keep
rooting for these plaintiffs.
You can send a letter
offering them your moral support using the form below. We'll
be sure to forward all messages to our anguished furry and
hard-shelled friends.
Please join us in
wishing them well.
FUPPPS Editorial Board
TEN COUPLES SET TO SUE GOVERNOR ROMNEY FOR DISCRIMINATION
