Hub of a culture clash

Oliver Wendell Holmes called Massachusetts's State House "the hub of the solar system." The state's relative influence has dimmed somewhat since the 19th century.

But this week - as lawmakers consider a constitutional amendment on marriage - the portrait-lined hallways and historic chambers of the state capitol are situated at the center of the political universe.

The weight of the moment is visible on lawmakers' faces. As one shuffles his wing-tipped shoes across the marbled floors of the senate building, he conveys the preoccupied look of a man cataloging the many threats against his job offered the past week.

Staffers, meanwhile, struggle to insulate their bosses from the TV crews camped out in the hallways. And then there is the mobilized citizenry who, like modern-day Luthers, leave letters at the doors of their representatives. "Not since 1775 has there been a moment this big," says Rep. Marie Parente (D). "I've never seen such passion in an issue."

Barring last-minute maneuvers, the legislature will meet here Wednesday to vote on an amendment to the state's constitution that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

Analysts say the amendment is likely to pass, which could embolden dozens of states to change their constitutions to prevent the legalization of gay marriage. The move might also further validate calls for a federal constitutional amendment.

A November court ruling, re affirmed last week, that gay marriage is a constitutional right, pushed the issue to the front lines of the nation's culture war. "I haven't seen this much activity since just after 9/11," says one Senate aide.

In some ways, it is perhaps fitting that this capital, though only one among 50, is holding a vote that will act as a national plebiscite. The state is home to two groups of partisans, liberal activists and traditional Catholics, who passionately represent the two poles of the gay marriage debate.

Nowhere is a sense of history more evident than beneath the gold-leaf dome of the State House. Portraits of Massachusetts' earliest statesmen, many among the nation's Founding Fathers, hang next to the House Speaker's office. Massachusetts' constitution is the oldest in the country, and the longest functioning in the world. "We have the first constitution ever written, and to change it in such a horrible way would be a crime," says Hillary Goodrich, one of the seven gay couples whose lawsuit prompted the state high court's decision.

Constitutional conventions are convened every year in Massachusetts. But rarely has the legislature ever voted on such a controversial amendment.

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