Senate candidates on LGBT issues

On January 19, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley (D; right) will face State Senator Scott Brown (R; left) in a special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by the late Ted Kennedy's death.

January 2010, with the advent of marriage equality in New Hampshire, will greet the New England's LGBT community with opportunities for celebration and chances to create lasting change. For the people of Massachusetts, this will manifest itself in an important vote.

On January 19, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) will face State Senator Scott Brown (R) in a special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by the late Ted Kennedy's death.

Kennedy left behind a legacy of service and dedication to the LGBT community, the likes of which were not seen before he took office, and have not been seen since his death. Kennedy was one of only thirteen senators brave enough to vote against the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and managed to score a 100% rating from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) for his work in the name of LGBT rights. In 2004, Senator Kennedy spoke out about marriage equality, saying, "We all know what this issue is about. It's not about how to protect the sanctity of marriage, or how to deal with activist judges. It's about politics and an attempt to drive a wedge between one group of citizens and the rest of the country, solely for partisan advantage ... The Constitution has never been used as a tool to entrench currently popular views at the expense of an unpopular minority -- and it should not be used that way now."

That being said, the victor of the January election will have a very significant pair of shoes to fill when it comes to the LGBT community.

Scott Brown was invited to participate in a debate on gay marriage at King Philip Regional High School in Wrentham in February of 2007. Prior to his appearance at the school, King Philip students created a Facebook group attacking Brown because of his refusal to support marriage equality (Brown supports civil unions). During the presentation, Brown quoted directly from the obscenity-laced text of the Facebook group, and publicly named the students responsible. Critics immediately derided Brown for his actions. "The lawmaker held captive to his outrage many KP students who were innocent of the name-calling and foul language, and did so in a manner unbecoming to his roles as caring parent and respected lawmaker," a Feb. 13, 2007 editorial from the Sun Chronicle read. "While we empathize with Brown's wish to redress the postings, his decision to use an appearance on legislative issues to scold everyone came across as inappropriate, unjust and seemingly out of character."

In his defense, Brown said, "I told [the students] some people love what I do. Some hate it. Some just hate me," the MetroWest Daily News reported in 2007, saying that Brown intended to call students out on their opinions. "You can hammer me, but I can't call you out on it?" he said.

Brown said that Massachusetts "needs an independent thinker" when he announced in September his intent to run for Kennedy's seat. Neither Brown's campaign Web site nor his legislative history display LGBT issues as a priority for the would-be senator.

Martha Coakley made history in July 2009 when she filed a lawsuit challenging DOMA on a federal level. According to the suit, Congress had "overstepped its authority, undermined states' efforts to recognize marriages between same-sex couples, and codified an animus towards gay and lesbian people" by enacting DOMA. Coakley received praise from the HRC and from Arlene Isaacson of the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus for her actions. She has since been endorsed for Senate by MassEquality and by Gunner Scott of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition.

Coakley's Web site carefully specifies the LGBT issues that still need work (a full repeal of DOMA and 'don't ask, don't tell,' the military's ban on gays and lesbians serving openly, as well as protection against hate crimes and ending housing discrimination), acknowledging that the struggle for equal rights and equality is far from over.

For information on registering to vote and where to find polling centers, please visit www.mass.gov.