Massachusetts

On November 18, 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health that there is no rational basis under the law to deny a marriage license tosame-sex couples. On May 17, 2004, marriage licenses began to be issued to same-sex couples in Massachusetts. In June 2007, the Massachusetts Legislature defeated the discriminatory, anti-gay, anti-marriage Constitutional amendment. The final 151 to 45 vote was a strong legislative victory for marriage equality. And finally, in July 2008, the Massachusetts Legislature, along witha signature from Gov. Deval Patrick signed a law which upholds marriage equality for same-sex couples from outside of Massachusetts to get married in MA. Both houses of the state legislature overwhelmingly voted in favor of the law which repealed a discriminatory law from 1913 that had blocked such marriages. "The 1913 law is outdated and discriminatory; repealing it is the right thing to do," Patrick said in a statement.

Status: Marriage

Groups Actively Working on Marriage

MassEquality: a coalition of local and national organizationsdefending equal marriage rights for same-sex couples in Massachusetts

Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders: New England's leadinglegal rights organization dedicated to ending discrimination based onsexual orientation, HIV status and gender identity and expression

 

Blog Posts Related to Massachusetts

GLAD DOMA Stories: Federal Marriage Discrimination Hurts Families

"I Owe It to Her Memory to Continue Fighting This"

Months after Eleanor Vasapollo’s death in August 2008, SSA reversed its previous denial of disability payments during her cancer treatment. But SSA also ruled that unlike other surviving spouses Jacqueline Murphy was not eligible to receive Ellie’s retroactive Social Security disability payments—payments that could have made a difference as she struggled to pay bills after Ellie died.

Freedom to Marry Advocates praise Stephen Lynch

In the 2001 special election that sent US Representative Stephen F. Lynch to Washington, the South Boston politician was accused of being hostile to gay rights. A decade later, the low-key lawmaker is winning praise from freedom to marry advocates in the nation’s capital.

GLAD announces debut of DOMA Storybook

In its DOMA case, Gill v OPM, GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders) represents 8 couples and 3 widowers who are harmed in various ways by the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act". But with over 1,000 marriage-related laws and program, and with more and more same-sex couples getting married every day in the United States, DOMA hurts many more people than GLAD can represent in a single lawsuit.

So today, GLAD is debuting a DOMA Storybook on their website, in which new stories will be told every week of couples harmed by DOMA. Over time, it will highlight the cumulative, destructive impact of DOMA. They open this week with the story of Judi and Rebecca, who live in Western Massachusetts and are raising their daughter Beau.

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Resources Related to Massachusetts

How to Get Married in Massachusetts

Learn the basics about how to get married in Massachusetts.

Marriage Equality Works for Massachusetts: 5th Anniversary Voter Survey

Voter perceptions of the freedom to marry in Massachusetts 5 years after it was established.

Marriage Equality Works for Massachusetts: 5th Anniversary Voter Survey

Findings of a survey of 600 voters in Massachusetts conducted by Lake Research Partners from April 5–8, 2009 to understand voter perceptions five years after marriage equality was established in Massachusetts.

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