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Politicians bump into each other at a lot of functions -- ribbon cuttings, chicken dinners, Chamber breakfasts, etc.

I wonder what some of our local legislators are going to say to Attleboro Mayor Kevin Dumas the next time they meet.

Will they shake his hand, look him in the eye and say: `` Hey, congratulations on your marriage. Nothing personal, but, since you're gay, I believe you're not entitled to get married. I'm planning to vote to ban marriage among same-sex couples. In other words, I support a law that discriminates against you.''

I doubt it. But as always, actions speak louder than words.

`` They,'' in this case, include a majority of the Attleboro area's Statehouse delegation: state Reps. John Lepper of Attleboro, Betty Poirier of North Attleboro, Ginny Coppola of Foxboro and Philip Travis of Rehoboth as well as state Sen. Scott Brown of Wrentham. All oppose gay marriage. All support an effort to put a question banning gay marriage on the 2008 ballot, enabling voters to take away what Dumas calls his `` fundamental right.'' Dumas' decision to keep his February marriage hidden for the last three months is part of his long-standing effort to be known as simply `` the mayor,'' and not `` the gay mayor.'' In an interview about his marriage with George Rhodes, The Sun Chronicle's city hall reporter, Dumas took great pains to separate his status in the community from his personal life.

`` What I have to say doesn't come from me as mayor, but from someone who's a citizen of the commonwealth who has the fortunate circumstance of finding someone who I want to spend the rest of my life with,'' he said.

Distancing himself from the issue is a smart move politically. No doubt voters would object if he used the mayor's office as a platform to promote gay marriage.

Dumas is unique. He's not only gay and a Republican -- the party which has led the fight against gay marriage -- but he has taken advantage of Massachusetts' status as the only state to legalize same-sex marriage to tie the knot with his longtime companion. I doubt there are many politicians in the country that can make that claim.

But it also has to leave Dumas conflicted.

He knows it would be political suicide to be a spokesman for the cause. But he obviously feels deeply about it.

`` If something happens to me today, what we have both worked so hard for will automatically go to him,'' Dumas told Rhodes. `` Without this, it wouldn't be able to happen.''

In his 2 1/sub 2 years in office, Dumas has earned a reputation as a hard-working mayor deeply involved in the nuts and bolts of city government. He has won the respect of politicians in the city and beyond.

Perhaps, he must believe, he could persuade others toward the cause by becoming a human face of gay marriage.

Dumas may feel that he can be an example, that there is nothing wrong with him or his partner, that there is no need to discriminate against them, that the government has no place in their bedroom. Or maybe he's resigned to the belief that time will prove him right, that this issue may take years to resolve, just as it has in other American civil rights cases.

In any case, it could make those ribbon cuttings a little more interesting.