E-Mail This Article to a Friend A LITTLE EXTRA BUBBLY A triumph for gay civil rights BY KRISTEN LOMBARDI

"It’s going to be a blow-out night," proclaimed one well-coifed gay man wearing a sleek silk shirt and dress pants at Club Café, in the South End, the setting of what would become the primary-night victory party for pro-gay-marriage forces in this state. Despite the considerable odds that activists pushing for civil-marriage rights for same-sex couples in the Bay State could actually oust any of the 11 incumbent "anti-equality legislators" targeted for defeat this election (see "Primary Colored," News and Features, September 10), this man had not a worry in the world. As he calmly explained: Josh Friedes, the political director of the Freedom to Marry Coalition, of Massachusetts, "has a good sense of these things, and he’s predicting victory." That rather prescient prediction came at 8:15 p.m., well before the tallies would trickle in from 17 or so key primary races across the state, well before any victors would be declared. But even as the polls were closing on Tuesday night, Club Café’s private function room seemed an optimistic place. Dozens of gay-marriage activists, mostly members of Freedom to Marry Coalition and MassEquality, mingled throughout the softly lit bar as rhythm-and-blues filled the air. They huddled near the spread of Buffalo wings and veggie wedges. They clinked glasses of white wine and vodka-and-tonic. And, of course, they ruminated on the finer points of their involvement in the 2004 election season — how the gay community had built an unprecedented voter-mobilization campaign, funneled considerable money and manpower into favored candidacies, and simply worked hard.

A spirited energy intensified throughout the night. By 8:55 p.m., after organizers announced that all seven of the incumbent "pro-equality legislators" facing opponents had triumphed in their primary races, many in the crowd seemed ready to call it a night. Some flocked around the stage, whooping it up, making Champagne toasts. Simply defending incumbents who had voted against the proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage last March, such as Representative Tim Toomey, of Cambridge, and Representative Jay Kaufman, of Lexington, was enough to declare success. As Arline Isaacson, of the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus, explained it: "Hey, we protected the incumbents who voted with us when people said we couldn’t. So I’m happy. I call that a victory."

But the real coup would come only if the activists’ managed to add two more pro-gay-marriage votes to the current legislative roster. (The proposed amendment cannot appear on the 2006 ballot unless it receives approval from state lawmakers during the 2005 legislative session.) And that meant that at least two of the 11 pro-gay-marriage challengers vying against the "anti-equality" incumbents had to win. So one hour later, after organizers had announced the defeat of nine challengers, the mood took a turn. Some crowd members cried out, "Oh no!," as if utterly deflated. Others stood in silence. One man with bushy eyebrows and long, curly hair turned to me and mumbled softly, "It’s not looking good."

But just as quickly, the mood pendulum swung back the other way. Indeed, organizers announced that the last two challengers — Steve Canessa, of New Bedford, and the openly gay Carl Sciortino, of Somerville — had beaten the "anti-equality" incumbents. Those in the crowd could hardly contain themselves. Activists erupted into rousing applause. Some hugged in jubilation. Others wandered the room, as if in disbelief. One woman whipped out her cell phone. "Sciortino beat Ciampa," she screamed, referring to Sciortino’s opponent, Vincent Ciampa, the 16-year state rep from Somerville. "Can you believe it?"

In his brief acceptance speech later, Sciortino seemed equally stunned, his expression doe-eyed under the spotlights. He told the crowd that he was "humbled" and "overwhelmed" by their support. "I now have the privilege and honor of serving all the families in Somerville and Medford," he said, as the audience clapped wildly. "And I will make sure that everyone’s rights are defended and protected in my district."

Now that, it seems, is the ultimate victory for the pro-gay-marriage forces.