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Gay marriage supporters go door-knocking By AP from BostonHerold.com March 27, 2004 BOSTON –Gay marriage supporters on Saturday stepped up efforts to defeat a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage by directly lobbying the ultimate arbiters - voters. An estimated 120 gay marriage activists fanned out across Boston and the nearby suburbs of Brookline and Burlington to knock on doors and talk to potential voters, who ultimately must approve or reject any proposed constitutional amendment. Dave Fleischer, training director for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said the goal Saturday was to identify supportive voters. Nothing beats a personal connection with voters, he said. ``It's building the base of support by taking the time to talk to voters one on one,'' Fleischer said. ``It's the difference between winning and losing these elections.'' Lawmakers have given preliminary approval to a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage and, at the same time, legalize civil unions for same-sex couples. Lawmakers have set aside three days for a ``constitutional convention,'' starting Monday, to debate the existing amendment. If approved, it must be approved again by lawmakers during the 2005-06 session before it goes on the ballot in November 2006. Gay marriage supporters canvassing the packed blocks of triple-deckers in the East Boston neighborhood Saturday found the personal touch wasn't always persuasive. ``I'm not interested in that (stuff). I'm 90 years old, I'm going to worry about that?'' one man said before slamming the door. Another woman, who identified herself only as Dorothy, told a volunteer she didn't approve of same-sex marriage. ``Let them be what they want to be, but I don't approve of it,'' the woman told a reporter afterward. But lifelong East Boston resident Victor Bono agreed to sign a form letter supporting the Supreme Judicial Court decision that legalized gay marriage, to be sent to state Senate President Robert Travaglini, Democrat from East Boston. ``Being a person of heterosexual behavior, I don't understand (homosexual behavior),'' said Bono, 50. ``But I understand that these people have as much right to be happy as anyone else.'' Ron Crews, spokesman for the Coalition for Marriage, which opposes same-sex marriage, discounted the neighborhood lobbying as a publicity stunt. ``It sounds like an effort to draw attention to themselves,'' Crews said. ``We have viewed telephoning as a better use of our resources than door-to-door knocking at this point.'' Crews said he's focused on defeating the current amendment because he also opposes civil unions. His organization wants two separate amendments, which would allow voters to vote up or down on both gay marriage and civil unions. ``Children do need a male and a female role model,'' he said. ``Children do best when they have a mom and a dad in the home. Public policy is about what is ideal, what is the best.''
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