Dear Brian,
I completely agree with you that this is an important issue. But, I do
not agree with you that it has anything at all to do with where AALL
should hold its annual meeting. For example, was anyone willing to
boycott AALL in Orlando because there was controversy in Florida over
the last presidential election? I could be mistaken, but I doubt it.
We would be hard pressed to add "agrees with AALL members' political
stances" to our list of criteria for potential meeting locations. That
would be a tall order!
Nor, do I agree that this issue should be discussed on this
list--whatever side of the fence you're on. I just don't think that's
the purpose of the list.
Moreover, I believe the purpose of the convention is to exchange
ideas--all ideas and viewpoints. And, picking up the daily paper in
Boston this July should prove quite interesting because we who live in
Massachusetts don't agree much, either on this issue or many others, and
also because the Democrats are coming to town. Our capital city and
many of our other cities and towns are quite diverse so differing
opinions can be readily found. I sincerely believe that this is our
strength, not our weakness.
I'd like to ask that you not judge the whole state on the acts of the
members of our General Court, members with whom you may or may not
agree. Recent media coverage has shown that you are as likely to find
Massachusetts citizens who disagree with the legislature just as easily
as you'll find those who agree with it. Instead, perhaps you could view
us as a state where the decisions surrounding gay marriage are not being
taken lightly, but are being hotly debated because many people care
enough about the results to speak up. Freedom of speech is alive and
well here. Isn't that great?
Lastly, as a Massachusetts resident and librarian, I sincerely hope that
all of my AALL colleagues will feel welcome in Boston this summer.
(Of course, these viewpoints are my own, and should not be attributed to
my employer.)
Kelly Devlin
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-law-lib@ucdavis.edu [mailto:owner-law-lib@ucdavis.edu] On
Behalf Of Baker, Brian L.
Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2004 11:20 AM
To: 'law-lib@ucdavis.edu'
Subject: AALL, Boston, and the Massachusetts State Legislature's action
to ban Gay Marriage.
Colleagues,
I am very concerned about the important Civil Rights issue of Gay
Marriage. I am also concerned about whether holding the AALL Annual
Meeting in Boston this Summer would be providing some support to the
anti Gay Marriage position.
I know an unbelievable amount of hard work has gone into this Annual
Meeting. I understand that the timing of the Massachusetts
Legislature's actions are unfortunate.
I also know that I, for one, am hesitant about providing tax dollars to
support such a narrow minded legislature.
I am surprised that there has not been a call to boycott Boston over
this issue.
Am I out of step?
Shouldn't this be a topic for reasoned discussion?
Sincerely,
Brian
Brian L. Baker, JD, MLS
Director of the Law Library
& Assistant Professor of Law
UDC David A. Clarke School of Law
4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008
Voice: 202-274-7354 Fax: 202-274-7311
bbaker@udc.edu
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