BOSTON, Jan. 2 — Massachusetts, the only state where same-sex marriage is legal, took a first step toward possibly banning it Tuesday when legislators voted to advance a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union between a man and a woman.

The amendment now requires the approval of at least 50 legislators in another vote in the 2007-8 session. Then it would be placed on the November 2008 ballot as a referendum question…

The state’s new governor, Deval Patrick, said “I believe that adults should be free to choose whom they wish to love and to marry,” adding that he objected to using the constitutional amendment process “to give a minority fewer freedoms than the majority.” After the vote, Mr. Patrick said in a statement, “We have work to do over the next year to turn this around.”

Article via NYTimes
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