But finally the day came, and thousands of couples across the state were married just in the first week and month. We had been together 15 years and we were just ecstatic that in our lifetime we could be legally married.
Some cities, such as Cambridge, opened their offices at midnight on the day of and held a celebration. Attendees said protesters were few and far between. Couples who were married at the time said many rushed to get married because they were unsure if the effects of the ruling would be permanent. Though opponents of same-sex marriage did not cease their efforts to turn back the clock on the ruling for several years afterward, they were ultimately defeated thanks to the efforts of activists and legislators.
According to the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, over 32, same-sex marriages have taken place in Massachusetts since the ruling, with over 6, occurring in just the first year. Bonauto went on to argue for same-sex couples in the Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health case which legalized same-sex marriage in Connecticut, and ultimately in the Obergefell v.
Hodges case which made it legal nationwide. In , Connecticut became the second state to achieve marriage equality, followed by Vermont and Iowa the next year, then New Hampshire, New York, Maine and Washington, until a cascade of states legalized same-sex marriage every year until when it became legal federally.
Over the next year, the ensuing battle over gay marriage could be heard in the halls of the U. Congress, in dozens of state legislatures and in the rhetoric of election campaigns at the national and state level. The debate over same-sex marriage shows no signs of abating. In addition, Florida will hold a referendum during the November election on a state constitutional amendment that would prohibit gay marriage. Other states, such as Arizona and Indiana, are considering putting similar referenda on the November ballot.
Supporters of same-sex marriage contend that gay and lesbian couples should be treated no differently than their heterosexual counterparts and that they should be able to marry like anyone else.
Beyond wanting to uphold the principle of nondiscrimination and equal treatment, supporters say that there are very practical reasons behind the fight for marriage equity. They point out, for instance, that homosexual couples who have been together for years often find themselves without the basic rights and privileges that are currently enjoyed by heterosexual couples who legally marry — from the sharing of health and pension benefits to hospital visitation rights. Social conservatives and others who oppose same-sex unions assert that marriage between a man and a woman is the bedrock of a healthy society because it leads to stable families and, ultimately, to children who grow up to be productive adults.
Allowing gay and lesbian couples to wed, they argue, will radically redefine marriage and further weaken it at a time when the institution is already in deep trouble due to high divorce rates and the significant number of out-of-wedlock births. Moreover, they predict, giving gay couples the right to marry will ultimately lead to granting people in polygamous and other nontraditional relationships the right to marry as well. The American religious community is deeply divided over the issue of same-sex marriage.
The Catholic Church and evangelical Christian groups have played a leading role in public opposition to gay marriage, while mainline Protestant churches and other religious groups wrestle with whether to ordain gay clergy and perform same-sex marriage ceremonies. Indeed, the ordination and marriage of gay persons has been a growing wedge between the socially liberal and conservative wings of the Episcopal and Presbyterian churches, leading some conservative congregations and even whole dioceses to break away from their national churches.
Polls show that frequency of worship service attendance is a factor in the opposition to gay marriage. The same-sex marriage debate is not solely an American phenomenon.
Many countries, especially in Europe, have grappled with the issue as well. And since , four nations — the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and South Africa — have legalized gay marriage. In addition, the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec in Canada now allow same-sex couples to legally marry. Gay Americans have been calling for the right to marry, or at least to create more formalized relationships, since the s, but same-sex marriage has only emerged as a national issue in the last 15 years.
Even though this decision did not immediately lead to the legalization of gay marriage in the state the case was sent back to a lower court for further consideration , it did spark a nationwide backlash. There is a three-day waiting period between the date of the application and the date the license is issued.
Weekends and holidays are included in the three-day period, but the day the application is made is not. If you apply on Friday, the license will be issued on Monday. Many couples have gotten the waiting period waived so that they could get their licenses on the spot. If you're interested in such a waiver, ask the clerk at the office where you intend to apply for your license. If we already got married in another state or country will Massachusetts recognize our marriage?
What if we have a civil union or domestic partnership? Massachusetts will recognize your marriage. Just as it would recognize opposite-sex marriages from another country or state, Massachusetts would consider you married and treat you as such under state law.
Legal recognition of civil unions and domestic partnerships in Massachusetts has not been determined. However, it is not yet clear what effect those legal unions are being accorded in Massachusetts. Domestic partnerships from other jurisdictions which do not approximate marriage may not be recognized in Massachusetts. If you go to Massachusetts and get married, you will be married. Whether federal and other state governments and private businesses will respect your marriage is a more difficult question.
Businesses that already recognize same-sex couples through domestic partnerships or similar systems almost certainly will. It's hard to say what will happen with businesses that don't recognize same-sex couples yet. Some probably haven't been asked and may be willing. If we are married in Massachusetts but live elsewhere, will we have the same legal rights and responsibilities as heterosexual couples?
If we get married in Massachusetts, should we sue to force the state to recognize our marriage? You may have a good claim that should be brought, but it's also possible to do serious harm by suing. In , an Alaskan couple sued the state for the right to marry.
That ended the case. It also prevents any state court or the state legislature from ever allowing same-sex marriage until the people vote to change the state constitution again. The state has even used the constitutional amendment as an excuse not to recognize domestic partnerships.
We're fighting this lawsuit right now. If you think you would like to be involved in a case to have your marriage recognized in your home state, contact us by phone at or by e-mail at getequal aclu. Say that you're married after all, you are on applications for jobs, credit, mortgages, insurance and medical treatment, etc.
However, if you know that the agency or organization asking does not recognize same-sex marriages, and especially if saying you're married will get you some benefit, you should probably make it clear that your spouse is someone of the same sex and that you have been legally married in Massachusetts. One week later, Harvard law professor Archibald Cox was sworn in as special On May 17, , Norwegian ethnologist Thor Heyerdahl and a multinational crew set out from Morocco across the Atlantic Ocean in Ra II, a papyrus sailing craft modeled after ancient Egyptian sailing vessels.
Heyerdahl was attempting to prove his theory that Mediterranean May 17, In a major civil rights victory, the U. Supreme Court hands down an unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, ruling that racial segregation in public educational facilities is unconstitutional. The historic decision, which brought an end to For the second time in two years, the Apache leader Geronimo breaks out of an Arizona reservation, sparking panic among Arizona settlers.
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