The Massachusetts
house voted Tuesday to repeal a law that had prohibited
out-of-state gay couples from legally marrying in the Bay
State. By a count of 118-35, legislators voted down
the 1913 law that nullified any marriage performed in
Massachusetts that was not legal in a couple's home
state. The state senate approved repeal earlier this month,
and the bill will now hit the desk of Gov. Deval
Patrick, who has pledged to sign it, within the next
week.
Marc Solomon,
executive director of MassEquality, said California's
supreme court ruling to legalize the marriages of both
in-state and out-of-state gay couples set the ball
rolling to repeal the 1913 law, which he
called "the last vestige of discrimination in our state
marriage laws against same-sex couples."
Solomon said
there were no protesters at the chamber, though several
legislators spoke out against repeal, arguing that allowing
nonresident same-sex couples to marry would create
chaos in other states.
"It's ironic
because that's the exact same language the proponents of
the 1913 law used," Solomon noted, referring to the law that
was originally enacted in 1913 to prevent out-of-state
interracial couples from marrying in Massachusetts. "I
think history has shown what a poor argument that is,
and I think there's a real sense of pride that
we were first [to legalize same-sex marriage]."
But overall, he
said, the votes have been virtually nonevents in terms of
opposition. "The message is that people in Massachusetts, as
represented by their state legislators, are fine with gay
marriage."
Solomon also had
his own personal victory. While standing outside the
senate caucus just before the vote a couple weeks ago, he
unwittingly blocked the view of marriage opponent
Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family
Institute.
"He said, 'Marc,
you're so darn tall, I can't see in front of you.' And
I said, 'Kris, that's the way God made me,' " Solomon
recalled, with a hint of glee. (Kerry Eleveld, The
Advocate)
