In a groundbreaking decision, the Massachusetts state supreme court has struck down a ban on gay marriage as unconstitutional.
(Human Right Campaign press release)
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled on Tuesday that same- and opposite-sex couples must be given equal civil marriage rights under the state constitution.
The ruling in Goodridge et al. v. Department of Public Health makes the state the first in the nation to grant same-sex couples the right to a civil marriage license. Ruling that civil marriage in Massachusetts means "the voluntary union of two persons as spouses, to the exclusion of all others," the Court allowed the Legislature 180 days to change the civil marriage statutes accordingly.
"Today, the Massachusetts Supreme Court made history. In the best tradition of our nation, that court ruled that the hard-working, tax-paying gay and lesbian citizens deserve the same rights and protections under law as other citizens of that state," said Elizabeth Birch, executive director of the Human Rights Campaign.
"This ruling will never interfere with the right of religious institutions - churches, synagogues and mosques - to determine who will be married within the context of their respective religious faiths. This is about whether gay and lesbian couples in long-term, committed relationships will be afforded the benefits, rights and protections afforded other citizens to best care for their partners and children. This is good for gay couples and it is good for America.
Amen to that.
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Update: Mike Silverman is raining on the parade. As perhaps he should, because this may be just one of those brief rays of sunshine that are threatened with all too imminent extinction.
But what I've read of the court's opinion is very promising. Changes of this order of magnitude come slowly. But they are coming. And, hopefully, they will continue.
