109 People to Thank

History was made on November 9, 2006 when 109 heroes stood up for the victims of discrimination. Gay people around the country are all celebrating thanks to the courage of 109 Senators and Representatives of the state of Massachusetts who stood up to the religious right hate machine. They voted to recess instead of considering an amendment that would ban gay marriage, and would drag the state into another two years of social upheaval. Equality cannot have exceptions, and these fine legislators know this. They understand that civil rights are not something to be voted on, and they defended the liberty that our country was founded upon in spite of the threats of reciprocity they have all suffered. Religious zealots of a terrorist fashion do not have to come from abroad, sometimes they are right in our backyard. With a steely resolve that would make any true patriot proud to be American all over again, these brave souls stood for truth, justice, and once again made Massachusetts the place where liberty is born and defended. Please make time to thank your legislators that voted to recess, and to question those who did not. Let them know that they did the right thing by turning their back on this vessel of hatred, and not giving it the dignity of their attention.

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."
~Martin Luther King Jr.



The complete list of Con Con call to recess votes:

Title First Last Home City Recess?
Rep. Cory Atkins Concord Y
Rep. Demetrius Atsalis Barnstable Y
Rep. Bruce J. Ayers Quincy N
Rep. Ruth B. Balser Newton Y
Rep. John J. Binienda E. Worcester N
Rep. Daniel Bosley North Adams Y
Rep. Garrett Bradley Hingham Y
Rep. Arthur J. Broadhurst Methuen Y
Rep. Antonio F.D. Cabral New Bedford Y
Rep. Jennifer M. Callahan Sutton N
Rep. Christine E. Canavan Brockton N
Rep. Gale D. Candaras Wilbraham N
Rep. Stephen R. Canessa Lakeville Y
Rep. Mark J. Carron Southbridge N
Rep. Paul C. Casey Winchester N
Rep. Cheryl Coakley-Rivera Springfield Y
Rep. Virginia Coppola Foxborough N
Rep. Robert Correia Fall River N
Rep. Michael A. Costello Newburyport Y
Rep. Robert K. Coughlin Dedham Y
Rep. Geraldine Creedon Brockton N
Rep. Sean Curran Springfield N
Rep. Robert A. DeLeo Winthrop Y
Rep. Vinny M. deMacedo Plymouth N
Rep. Brian S. Dempsey Haverhill N
Rep. Salvatore F. DiMasi Boston Y
Rep. Paul Donato Medford N
Rep. Christopher J. Donelan Orange Y
Rep. Joseph Driscoll Jr. Braintree Y
Rep. James B. Eldridge Acton Y
Rep. Lewis G. Evangelidis Holden N
Rep. James H. Fagan Taunton N
Rep. Christopher G. Fallon Malden N
Rep. Mark Falzone Saugus Y
Rep. Robert F. Fennell Lynn Y
Rep. Michael E. Festa Melrose Y
Rep. Barry R. Finegold Andover Y
Rep. Jennifer L. Flanagan Leominster Y
Rep. David L. Flynn Bridgewater N
Rep. Linda Forry Boston Y
Rep. Gloria L. Fox Roxbury Y
Rep. John P. Fresolo Worcester N
Rep. Paul K. Frost Auburn N
Rep. William C. Galvin Canton Y
Rep. Colleen M. Garry Dracut N
Rep. Susan W. Gifford Wareham N
Rep. Anne M. Gobi Spencer N
Rep. Emile J. Goguen Fitchburg N
Rep. Thomas A. Golden Jr. Lowell N
Rep. Shirley A. Gomes South Harwich N
Rep. Mary E. Grant Beverly Y
Rep. William G. Greene Billerica N
Rep. Denis E. Guyer Dalton Y
Rep. Patricia Haddad Somerset Y
Rep. Geoffrey D. Hall Westford N
Rep. Robert S. Hargraves Groton N
Rep. Lida E. Harkins Needham Y
Rep. Bradford R. Hill Ipswich N
Rep. Kevin G. Honan Brighton Y
Rep. Donald F. Humanson Westfield N
Rep. Frank M. Hynes Marshfield N
Rep. Bradley H. Jones North Reading N
Rep. Louis L. Kafka Sharon Y
Rep. Michael Kane Holyoke N
Rep. Rachel Kaprielian Watertown Y
Rep. Jay R. Kaufman Lexington Y
Rep. John D. Keenan Salem Y
Rep. Thomas P. Kennedy Brockton Y
Rep. Kay S. Khan Newton Y
Rep. Peter V. Kocot Florence Y
Rep. Robert M. Koczera New Bedford N
Rep. Peter J. Koutoujian Newton Y
Rep. Paul Kujawski Webster N
Rep. Stephen Kulik Worthington Y
Rep. William Lantigua Lawrence N
Rep. James B. Leary Worcester Y
Rep. Stephen P. LeDuc Marlborough N
Rep. John A. Lepper Attleboro N
Rep. David Paul Linsky Natick Y
Rep. Barbara A. L'Italien Andover Y
Rep. Paul Loscocco Holliston N
Rep. Elizabeth A. Malia Jamaica Plain Y
Rep. Ronald Mariano Quincy Y
Rep. J. James Marzilli Jr. Arlington Y
Rep. James R. Miceli Wilmington N
Rep. Michael J. Moran Brighton Y Leaving office
Rep. Charles A. Murphy Burlington Y
Rep. James M. Murphy Weymouth N
Rep. Kevin J. Murphy Lowell N
Rep. David M. Nangle Lowell N
Rep. Patrick M. Natale Woburn Y
Rep. Harold P. Naughton Jr. Clinton Y
Rep. Robert J. Nyman Hanover N
Rep. Thomas J. O'Brien Kingston Y
Rep. Eugene L. O'Flaherty Chelsea N
Rep. Shirley Owens-Hicks Mattapan N
Rep. Marie J. Parente Milford N Voted out of office
Rep. Matthew Patrick Falmouth Y
Rep. Anne M. Paulsen Belmont Y
Rep. Vincent A. Pedone Worcester Y
Rep. Alice H. Peisch Wellesley Y
Rep. Jeffrey D. Perry East Sandwich N
Rep. Douglas W. Petersen Marblehead Y
Rep. George N. Peterson Jr. Grafton N
Rep. Thomas M. Petrolati Ludlow N
Rep. Anthony Petruccelli East Boston Y
Rep. William J. Pignatelli Lenox Y
Rep. Elizabeth A. Poirier North Attleboro N
Rep. Karyn Polito Shrewsbury N
Rep. Susan W. Pope Wayland N
Rep. Denise Provost Somerville Y
Rep. John F. Quinn Dartmouth N
Rep. Kathi-Anne Reinstein Revere Y
Rep. Robert L. Rice Gardner Y
Rep. Michael J. Rodrigues Westport N
Rep. Mary S. Rogeness Longmeadow N
Rep. John H. Rogers Norwood Y
Rep. Richard J. Ross Wrentham N
Rep. Michael F. Rush West Roxbury N
Rep. Byron Rushing Boston Y
Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez Jamaica Plain Y
Rep. Tom Sannicandro Ashland Y
Rep. Angelo M. Scaccia Boston N
Rep. John Scibak South Hadley Y
Rep. Carl M. Sciortino Somerville Y
Rep. Frank Israel Smizik Brookline Y
Rep. Todd M. Smola Palmer N
Rep. Theodore C. Speliotis Danvers Y
Rep. Robert Spellane Worcester Y
Rep. Christopher N. Speranzo Pittsfield Y
Rep. Joyce A. Spiliotis Peabody N
Rep. Marie St. Fleur Dorchester Y
Rep. Harriett L. Stanley Merrimac N
Rep. Thomas M. Stanley Waltham Y
Rep. Ellen Story Amherst Y
Rep. William M. Straus Mattapoisett Y
Rep. David B. Sullivan Fall River N
Rep. Benjamin Swan Springfield Y
Rep. Kathleen M. Teahan Whitman Y
Rep. Walter F. Timilty Milton N
Rep. A. Stephen Tobin Quincy N
Rep. Timothy J. Toomey Jr. Cambridge Y
Rep. David M. Torrisi N. Andover Y
Rep. Philip Travis Rehoboth N Leaving office
Rep. Eric T. Turkington Falmouth Y
Rep. Cleon H. Turner Dennis Y
Rep. James E. Vallee Franklin N
Rep. Anthony J. Verga Gloucester N
Rep. Joseph F. Wagner Chicopee N
Rep. Brian P. Wallace Boston X
Rep. Patricia A. Walrath Stow N
Rep. Martin J. Walsh Dorchester Y
Rep. Steven M. Walsh Lynn Y
Rep. Martha Walz Boston Y
Rep. Daniel K. Webster Hanson N
Rep. James T. Welch W. Springfield Y
Rep. Alice K. Wolf Cambridge Y
Sen. Robert Antonioni Leominster Y
Sen. Edward M. Augustus Jr. Shrewsbury Y
Sen. Steven Baddour Methuen N
Sen. Jarrett Barrios Cambridge Y
Sen. Frederick Berry Peabody Y
Sen. Stephen Brewer Barre N
Sen. Scott Brown Wrentham N
Sen. Stephen J. Buoniconti Springfield N
Sen. Harriette Chandler Worcester Y
Sen. Robert Creedon Brockton N
Sen. Cynthia Creem Newton Y
Sen. Susan Fargo Lincoln N
Sen. John Hart Boston Y
Sen. Robert Havern Arlington Y
Sen. Robert Hedlund Weymouth N
Sen. Patricia D. Jehlen Somerville Y
Sen. Brian Joyce Milton Y
Sen. Michael Knapik Westfield Y
Sen. Brian Lees East Longmeadow Y
Sen. Thomas McGee Lynn Y
Sen. Joan Menard Somerset Y
Sen. Mark Montigny New Bedford Y
Sen. Richard Moore Uxbridge N
Sen. Michael Morrissey Quincy N
Sen. Therese Murray Plymouth Y
Sen. Andrea Nuciforo Pittsfield Y
Sen. Robert O'Leary Brewster N
Sen. Mark Pacheco Taunton N
Sen. Steven Panagiotakos Lowell N
Sen. Pamela Resor Acton Y
Sen. Stanley Rosenberg Amherst Y
Sen. Karen Spilka Framingham Y
Sen. Bruce Tarr Gloucester N
Sen. James E. Timilty Walpole Y
Sen. Richard Tisei Wakefield Y
Sen. Steven Tolman Brighton Y
Sen. Robert Travaglini Boston N
Sen. Susan Tucker Andover N
Sen. Marian Walsh West Roxbury Y
Sen. Dianne Wilkerson Boston Y