A Huge Step for Gay Rights in Massachusetts
By Jesse Singal - Jul 15th, 2008 at 3:36 pmBig news out of Massachusetts:
The Massachusetts Senate today passed a bill that would repeal a 1913 state law that prevents gay and lesbian couples from most other states from marrying in Massachusetts.
The bill, which had the support of Senate President Therese Murray, passed on a voice vote with members saying the law was archaic and discriminatory.
“There are very few laws on the books that I can say that I’m ashamed that they’re on the books,” said State Senator Mark Montigny, a New Bedford Democrat. He said he opposed the law because of the “immorality of discrimination.”
“This is a very simple law, contrived in shame, and it exists in shame and we ought to wipe it off the books,” he said.
The law was enacted to prevent interracial couples from other states from marrying in Massachusetts and had been largely forgotten until “Republican Governor Mitt Romney invoked it after gay marriage was legalized in Massachusetts to prevent out-of-state gay and lesbian couples from marrying here and forcing their home states to consider recognizing Massachusetts marriage law.”
This is a big deal, as once gay couples start heading to the Bay State to get married, numerous questions will arise regarding the status of their marriages in their home states.
Also worth reading: this article about a study that predicted that repealing the law would lead to an “an economic boomlet in hotel bookings, banquets, and wedding cakes” to the tune of $111 million over the next three years. When I read it I was reminded of Lisha’s post about gay marriage and California’s economy.
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