Last modified: Wednesday, April 12, 2006 2:00 AM EDT Area lawmakers sign back petition against gay marriage By Jenai Engelhard / FOR THE SUN CHRONICLE BOSTON -- Attleboro area legislators were on hand to support an initiative to halt same-sex marriage Tuesday as hundreds of activists, legislators and business leaders crowded into the basement of the Statehouse to plead their case before the House Judiciary Committee. `` I am here to go on public record as a prime sponsor of this, that marriage is in Massachusetts only the union of one man and one woman,'' state Rep. Philip Travis said. Travis, D-Rehoboth, said 123,356 signatures have been gathered to put the issue on the 2008 ballot. `` Because this is the largest number of petition signatures in the history of the commonwealth, I think this should be looked at very seriously by the committee,'' he said. State Rep. Virginia Coppola, R-Foxboro, also supports the initiative, and sent a report to the Judiciary Committee urging it to support the initiative. `` I am in support of the process to put it on the ballot,'' Coppola said. `` The required signatures were gathered. Let the people decide.'' To get on the ballot for the 2008 general election, gay marriage foes needed to collect 66,000 signatures. They now must win 50 votes from the Legislature this session and next. `` The issue must be put to vote,'' said Jim Edgerley, a spokesman for voteonmarriage.org, which led the petition drive. Edgerley said that of the people who signed the petition 70 percent were against gay marriage. The other 30 percent thought the issue should be put to a vote, regardless of their personal stance. Religious leaders appeared before the hearing to testify for and against the proposed amendment. `` The people of the commonwealth have already spoken,'' said George Welles, an Episcopal priest from the Church of our Savior in Milton. `` We rejoice in marriage equality,'' Welles said. `` No faith community has had to change their faith and practices because of gay marriage.'' Nancy Taylor, senior minister of the Old South Church in Boston, also pleaded with lawmakers to overturn the petition. `` Marriage is able to adjust to new cultural and social understandings,'' Taylor said. Yet other religious leaders spoke in favor of the initiative. `` This amendment seems to affirm the definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman,'' said Dan Alvila, a lawyer and lobbyist for the Massachusetts Catholic Conference. Some business leaders also appeared to make the case that same-sex marriage has benefited the Massachusetts economy. Mitchell Adams, executive director of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, said attracting and keeping gay workers was important in light of the decline in Massachusetts' population. Allowing gay marriage would help businesses draw a quality work force from a broader pool of talent, he said. `` The fact that Massachusetts allows gay marriages makes it an attractive place for both gay and lesbian employees and consumers,'' Adams said.