CONTACTAbout UsCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2025 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Massachusetts's highest court ruled 4-3 Tuesday that same-sex couples are legally entitled to wed under the state constitution and that licenses will be issued in 180 days. Those six months have been set aside to allow the state's legislature to respond to the ruling, either legalizing full marriage rights for same-sex couples or blocking those rights through a constitutional amendment. However, such a constitutional amendment could not be passed until 2006 at the earliest, well past the high court's deadline. The ruling surpasses a 1999 Vermont Supreme Court decision, which led to its legislature's approval in 2000 of civil unions, which give same-sex couples in that state separate-but-equal status. "Marriage is a vital social institution," Chief Justice Margaret Marshall wrote in the long-awaited Massachusetts ruling. "The exclusive commitment of two individuals to each other nurtures love and mutual support. It brings stability to our society. For those who choose to marry, and for their children, marriage provides an abundance of legal, financial, and social benefits. In return, it imposes weighty legal, financial, and social obligations." The Massachusetts legislature already is considering a constitutional amendment that would legally define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. The state's powerful speaker of the house, Tom Finneran of Boston, has endorsed this proposal. A similar initiative, launched by citizens, was defeated by the legislature last year on a procedural vote. Gay and lesbian activists have been cheered by a series of advances this year, including a U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down sodomy laws, the ordination of an openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, and a Canadian appeals court ruling that it was unconstitutional to deny gay couples the same marriage rights as heterosexual couples. Belgium and the Netherlands also have legalized gay marriage. In addition to Vermont, courts in Hawaii and Alaska have previously ruled that the states did not have a right to deny marriage to gay couples. In those two states, the decisions were followed by the adoption of constitutional amendments limiting marriage to heterosexual couples. No American court has ordered the issuance of a marriage license--a privilege reserved for heterosexual couples. The U.S. House is currently considering a federal constitutional ban on gay marriage. President Bush, although he believes marriage should be defined as a union between one man and one woman, recently said that a constitutional amendment is not yet necessary. Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has repeatedly said that marriage should be preserved as a union between a man and a woman, but he has declined to comment on what he would do if gay marriages are legalized. On the campaign trail last fall, Romney said he would veto gay-marriage legislation. He supports giving benefits such as inheritance and hospital visitation rights to gay couples.
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
31 Period Films of Lesbians and Bi Women in Love That Will Take You Back
December 09 2024 1:00 PM
18 of the most batsh*t things N.C. Republican governor candidate Mark Robinson has said
October 30 2024 11:06 AM
True
After 20 years, and after tonight, Obama will no longer be the Democrats' top star
August 20 2024 12:28 PM
Trump ally Laura Loomer goes after Lindsey Graham: ‘We all know you’re gay’
September 13 2024 2:28 PM
Melania Trump cashed six-figure check to speak to gay Republicans at Mar-a-Lago
August 16 2024 5:57 PM
These 13 major companies caved to the far right and stopped DEI programs
January 24 2025 1:11 PM
True
Latest Stories
Lawsuit challenges Trump's executive order targeting gender-affirming care
February 04 2025 7:58 PM
Fearless + Fighting Back: Lambda Legal’s plan to protect LGBTQ+ and HIV rights
February 04 2025 6:04 PM
e.l.f. Beauty CEO defends DEI: 'Our diversity is a key competitive advantage'
February 04 2025 5:19 PM
Trump moves to abolish Education Department amid push against 'wokeness'
February 04 2025 2:50 PM
Donald Trump's DOT will prioritize areas with higher 'marriage and birth rates'
February 04 2025 1:42 PM
Kim Davis is back in court because she doesn't want to pay a gay couple
February 04 2025 12:27 PM
Amber Ruffin to headline 2025 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. But, will Trump attend?
February 04 2025 11:49 AM
Transgender author Jennifer Finney Boylan: The fight is not over
February 04 2025 11:24 AM
Rep. Sarah McBride denounces Donald Trump’s ongoing attacks on transgender people
February 04 2025 11:19 AM