MassEquality -- Breaking Up The Old Gang

California -- jealous much? -- is stealing Marc Solomon from Massachusetts, to show the Milk-reminiscing left-coasters how to get their gay-liberal-mecca mojo back.

Let's be clear: Massachusetts continues to dominate as the geographic bogeyman for conservatives, and that's thanks in some small part to MassEquality, the advocacy group that pushed to make and keep same-sex marriage a reality in the state. Sure, ME's influence on our national reputation might rank below Dukakis, Kerry, Ted K., and Barney, but after them, it's as responsible as anybody.

The gang who made it happen -- who only began forming as a staff after the 2003 Goodrich decision -- is largely gone now; like a World Series team, it has broken up piece by piece. Marty Rouse and Jeremy Pittman went to work on the national level for Human Rights Campaign. Stan McGee took a job in Deval Patrick's administration. Matt McTighe now lobbies at Edwards, Angell, Palmer & Dodge. Michael Rousseau is with Victory Programs. Now Solomon and field director Amy Mello are fleeing to the Lesser Coast. (Melissa Threadgill, who came later to the party, is now with st. sen. Jamie Eldridge; David Kent is around somewhere; who else am I missing?)

Not everyone is gone. Finance director Karen Wheeler is still there, for instance, as is development director Scott Gortikov -- and hey, the big bucks might have been the most important part of the whole operation, after all.

Plus, they've added new folks, like red-headed sprite Matt O'Malley.

Still, you get the feeling that Solomon's departure is a puncutation mark of some sort on the original crew. Which gets one to reminiscing about those old ConCons and court battles. Which then leads to the question: who plays whom in "MassEquality: The Movie"? (Tom Hanks as Solomon?) Suggestions, anyone?