At the March 7 meeting, the 18-year-old grassroots organization elected two new co-chairs: Betsy Smith of Hudson and Ron Hersom of Somerville, both of whom recently moved from Maine and earned their political stripes battling anti-gay ballot initiatives. The major goals that they set include lobbying the state legislature to pass domestic-partnership legislation (which would mandate group health-insurance coverage for partners of state employees, and allow municipalities to offer it) and to defeat an anti-gay-marriage bill known as the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). DOMA may be a particular threat this year, since its lead sponsor, Representative John Rogers (D-Norwood), was recently appointed to the powerful chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee. In addition, says Smith, “there are potentially DOMA ballot initiatives on the horizon in 2002 and 2004, and we’re laying the groundwork now to prepare for those.”

This fall, the Alliance will endorse candidates for mayor and city councilor in Boston; the group also hopes to make endorsements in other Massachusetts cities, including Brookline and Worcester. But perhaps the most important task is internal, says Hersom. “We want to focus on re-energizing the steering committee and building the membership,” he says. Board membership at the Alliance dropped to five last year, but it has rebounded, and Hersom hopes to expand it to 15. The group has also created the new position of communications director (filled by former Alliance chair Jeremy Pittman), and plans to introduce an interactive Web site and a quarterly newsletter to keep in better contact with members.

In some ways, says Smith, Massachusetts is light-years ahead of her home state of Maine — where yet another ballot initiative, this one to add “sexual orientation” to the state’s nondiscrimination policy, failed last November (see “Why Maine’s Latest Gay-Rights Measure Failed,” News and Features, December 22, 2000). Massachusetts has protected gays and lesbians from discrimination since 1989. “It’s nice that we have a civil-rights bill here,” she says. “But of course there’s more. People need health benefits, protection for their families, and the ability to marry. There’s still a lot of fighting to do.”

For more information, or to join the Alliance, e-mail alliance@masspride.net or call (617) 338-GAYS.