Boston Globe to publish gay commitment notices

The Boston Globe plans to publish announcements of same-sex commitment ceremonies and civil unions, the newspaper announced in Sunday's editions. "This is community news, and it fits into that rubric," said Globe editor Martin Baron, adding that the newspaper already includes same-sex partners in its obituaries and features same-sex unions in its daily coverage. The announcements are expected to begin running in the next few weeks. They will be located in a Sunday "Special Occasions" page that will include weddings, engagements, and anniversaries and will appear under a "Commitments" heading. In order to be eligible for coverage, same-sex partners must celebrate their commitment in an officiated ceremony or register their civil union or domestic partnership if they are in a jurisdiction that accepts them. The Globe's decision follows a recent move by The New York Times, which owns the Globe, to run announcements of gay and lesbian unions. The Los Angeles Times, The Arizona Republic, The Charlotte Observer, and The Cincinnati Enquirer are among 139 newspapers nationwide that publish notices of same-sex unions or intend to, according to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. "We are thrilled that the Globe has decided to include their gay and lesbian readers equally in all sections of the paper," said GLAAD regional media director Glennda Testone. "We are grateful to the gay and lesbian community of Boston for beginning this discussion by expressing a need, and we hope they will follow through and submit their unions to the Globe."