Source: Boston Globe
MassEquality, the gay-marriage advocacy coalition, created one of the most effective political campaigns Massachusetts has ever seen, leading a battle that attracted national attention and culminated in a historic victory last June, when the Legislature defeated an amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

But four months later, the group is agonizing over a question born of its own success: What, if anything, should it do now?

The debate is creating tensions among onetime allies. Some gay leaders believe MassEquality should broaden its mission to include issues such as transgender rights and HIV/AIDS, while others disagree and say expanding Mass-Equality's agenda to other gay and lesbian causes could dilute its effectiveness, crowd out smaller groups that advocate for gay rights, and alienate some lawmakers and donors who supported same-sex marriage. They believe the group should stay focused on its original mission and perhaps share its expertise with gay-marriage advocates in other states.

Some involved with the group are raising concerns that the organization has been spending more than $100,000 a month since June without a clear mission. A confidential survey of Mass-Equality "stakeholders" leaked to the newspaper Bay Windows last week found little consensus about what the group's role should be.

One thing everyone seems to agree on is that the group must keep its promise to help lawmakers in the 2008 elections who supported gay marriage. Thanks partly to the group's massive fund-raising and grass-roots efforts, not a single one of the 195 lawmakers who have run for reelection after voting in favor of gay marriage since the group's birth has lost a seat, said Marc Solomon, executive director of the organization.

"We told legislators we'd stick with them if they stuck with us," he said.

But, beyond that, the future is an open question.

MassEquality evolved from a group of gay organizations that had been working together on rights issues since 2001; the group began in earnest in late 2003, after the Supreme Judicial Court handed down its historic decision legalizing gay marriage, and advocates knew they would have to work together as never before to fight attempts to pass a constitutional ban.

The heat of battle encouraged cooperation, and many smaller groups set aside their own agendas to focus on marriage. Mass-Equality pulled in millions of dollars from local and national donors, established 11 affiliates across the state, and, at its height, employed 22 full-time and 35 part-time staff members.