Where's the Outrage?

Recently, a gay rights organization in Massachusetts filed a complaint with the Office of the Inspector General of the state, alleging that several towns and cities, including Cambridge, were illegally overcharging same-sex couples for marriage licenses. This organization even sent the IG's office evidence in the form of the towns' own websites showing the inflated fees listed therein.

This group asked that the IG's office investigate the matter, recommend to state prosecutors that violators be held legally accountable, and assist in getting monetary refunds to those people who had been improperly, and illegally, overcharged.

The response from Barbara Hansberry, General Counsel for the Inspector General's office?

"We looked into it. You might have a point. We asked them to stop doing that. Case closed."

There was no corrective or disciplinary action taken.

And, no effort was made to get people's money refunded to them.

Now, you'd think this would have gotten at least some coverage in the local media, if only in the editorial pages of the Boston Phoenix. You'd think that someone in the state legislature or in the Governor's office would have issued a scathing press release to decry such a blatant case of injustice and discrimination against an oppressed minority population of the Commonwealth.

Well, you would think that, if that was indeed what had happened.

But, needless to say, that was not the case.