Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts

Legal status of same-sex unions in North America

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Marriage Other type of union Recognition of marriage among persons held in other territories Binding judgement derogating from the prohibition of same-sex marriage pending entry into force

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Demonstration of opponents of same-sex marriage across Boston Capitol Street (Massachusetts). This woman was subsequently arrested for slapping a total stranger during a discussion. Source: Christina Wallace: Opponents: Beacon Hill 'sold us', www.metro.us, 2007-06-16 Sign compares homosexual activists today to Nazi Germany in the 1930s. The declared homophobic points are: invalidation of the democratic process of usurpation of government power by pederasts, homosexuals promoting sexual relations between adults and children (clubs of homosexuals, lesbians and bisexuals against groups of young Nazis)

In the United States, same-sex marriage in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was legalized on May 17, 2004.

Seven years earlier, seven gay couples had begun the legal process to obtain the right to marry in the state (the case Goodridge v. Department of Public Health).

On November 18, 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in that case that state laws preventing same-sex marriage were unconstitutional and discriminatory. The Court indicated that the right to marry should be understood as extended to same-sex couples. The Court granted 6 months to the Massachusetts General Assembly, in order to amend the law, although in the event that it did not do so (as it finally happened) the ruling would enter into force without further processing after that period, that is, on May 17, 2004. More than 1,000 gay couples applied for marriage licenses on the first day. Almost one half of the couples had a relationship of more than ten years and almost 25% had children.