The current governor and conservative legislators of Massachusetts are fighting to push through a state amendment to ban gay marriage, which, if approved, would appear on the state ballot in 2008. The measure still has to pass during the next legislative meeting. The governor-elect has vowed to fight to preserve the states progressive measure to grant gays and lesbians the right to marry. Massachusetts, at present, is the only state that grants marriage rights to LGBT people, while a few other states recognize civil unions. The conservatives pushing for the ban on gay marriage claim that their plight is not out of hatred or “vengeance,” but solely an opportunity for the people of Massachusetts to vote. No matter how the conservatives phrase their intentions, the intentions are negative and meant to strip the LGBT community of human rights granted to people in the United States.