BOSTON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Massachusetts' lawmakers on Thursday took a giant step toward killing a proposal to ban gay marriage in the only U.S. state where it is legal.
With protesters on both sides of the debate rallying outside the gold-domed statehouse, lawmakers voted 109 to 87 to delay a decision on whether to back a constitutional amendment that would have given voters a chance to ban gay marriage.
Gay rights advocates cheered the move, seen as a crushing blow to opponents of gay marriage who had gathered 170,000 signatures in a petition that asked lawmakers to put the culturally divisive issue before voters in 2008.
By adjourning until Jan. 2, the last official day of the legislative session, the Democratic-controlled legislature virtually guarantees the proposed amendment will not be taken up and therefore be killed.
"It's a travesty, it's wrong," said Kristian Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, a conservative Christian organization which led the petition drive. "We call on the governor to step in."
Republican Gov. Mitt Romney, a vocal opponent of gay marriage, said "the rule of law and the sovereignty of the people have been trampled" but there was little he could do to force the state's lawmakers to vote on the amendment.
"My options are limited but we will explore any alternatives that may exist to protect the constitutional rights of the people," said Romney, a Mormon millionaire who has staked out conservative positions on a number of sensitive social issues ahead of a likely 2008 presidential bid
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