Massachusetts

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The Essential Guide to Lesbian and Gay Weddings

The Lesbian Couples' Guide : Finding the Right Woman and Creating a Life Together

Lesbian and Gay Families Speak Out

Massachusetts Supreme Court - Text of Opinion: Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health [PDF file - Adobe Acrobat Reader Required] (FindLaw)

The Massachusetts Supreme Court has ruled that the State's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. In a 4-3 ruling, the court gave the Massachusetts legislature 180 days to come up with a solution. The case was brought by seven same-sex couples who were denied marriage licenses. The justices said the state Constitution "affirms the dignity and equality" of all people. A similar court ruling is Vermont was the impetus behind their passage of civil unions.

Massachusetts News Archives

Massachusetts Unlikely to Ban Gay Marriage - 365Gay.com (Dec 1, 2003)

Massachusetts Bishops Step Up Anti- Gay-Marriage Rhetoric - 365Gay.com (Nov 30, 2003)

Poll: Majority of Mass. Residents Support Gay Marriage Ruling - Gay Financial Network (Nov 25, 2003)

South African Pens US Gay Marriage Decision - IOL (Nov 24, 2003)

Cambridge Leads Way on Gay Marriage - Massachusetts City Ahead of Legislature - San Francisco Chronicle (Nov 24, 2003)

Massachusetts City Prepares to Jump Gun on Gay Weddings - Gay.com GayWire (Nov 24, 2003)

City May Be First to Allow Gay Marriage - Harvard Crimson (Nov 24, 2003)

Polls Find Massachusetts Gay Ruling OK - ABCNews (Nov 23, 2003)

Painful Choices Face Many Same-Sex Couples When One is American, The Other Foreign - San Francisco Chronicle (Nov 23, 2003)

Massachusetts Supreme Court - Text of Opinion: Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health [PDF file - Adobe Acrobat Reader Required] (FindLaw)

Massachusetts Ruling On Gay Marriage Could Impact Idaho KBCI, ID (Nov 19, 2003)

Court rejects gay-marriage ban Quad City Times, IA (Nov 19, 2003)

Ruling rekindles Vermont debate Rutland Herald, VT (Nov 19, 2003)

Ban on gay marriage overturned The Collegiate Times, VA (Nov 19, 2003)

Mass. ban on gay marriage ruled unconstitutional Knoxville News Sentinel, TN (Nov 19, 2003)

Gay marriage ruling opens the legal door Barre Montpelier Times Argus, VT (Nov 19, 2003)

Mass. court overturns ban on gay marriage Baltimore Sun, MD (Nov 19, 2003)

Mass. high court: Ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional Bennington Banner, VT (Nov 19, 2003)

Gay marriages approved in Massachusetts Billings Gazette, MT (Nov 19, 2003)

Ban on gay marriage in Mass. overturned Lansing State Journal, MI (Nov 19, 2003)

Massachusetts court strikes down gay-marriage ban UW Badger Herald, WI (Nov 19, 2003)

State court: Gay marriage ban illegal Evansville Courier & Press, United States (Nov 19, 2003)

MASSACHUSETTS SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT DECISION: Ruling allows gays ... St. Paul Pioneer Press, MN (Nov 19, 2003)

Mass. court lifts ban on gay marriage Neponset Valley Daily News, MA (Nov 19, 2003)

A basic right, Massachusetts court rules Halifax Herald (subscription), Canada (Nov 19, 2003)

Court Approves Gay, Lesbian Marriages Stamford Advocate, CT (Nov 19, 2003)

State court OKs gay marriage Fall River Herald News, MA (Nov 19, 2003)

Massachusetts ruling on gay marriages draws local response Democrat and Chronicle, NY (Nov 19, 2003)

Mass. court says gays can marry Fort Worth Star Telegram, TX (Nov 19, 2003)

Massachusetts ruling could lead to challenges elsewhere AL.com, AL (Nov 19, 2003)

Massachusetts high court rules ban on gay marriage ... Rockdale Citizen, GA (Nov 19, 2003)

Court: Gays have right to marry St. Petersburg Times, FL (Nov 19, 2003)

Gay marriage decision met with optimism, dismay Providence Journal Bulletin (subscription), RI (Nov 19, 2003)

Court endorses same-sex marriage Press Herald, ME (Nov 19, 2003)

High court says ban on gay unions unlawful Toledo Blade, OH (Nov 19, 2003)

Court: Same-sex marriage ban violates constitution Contra Costa Times, CA (Nov 19, 2003)

Marriage by Gays Gains Big Victory in Massachusetts The Ledger, FL (Nov 19, 2003)

Breaking News: Gay Marriage Legal In Massachusetts Court Rules Gay Wired (Nov 19, 2003)

Massachusetts Decision Forces National Debate On Gay Marriage Men's News Daily, CA (Nov 19, 2003)

Massachusetts Marriage Victory Windy city Media Group (Nov 19, 2003)

Gay marriage ruling out of step with beliefs Charleston Post Courier (subscription), SC (Nov 19, 2003)

Gay marriage ruling sparks debate Dartmouth Online, NH (Nov 19, 2003)

Massachusetts News Archives

Chrissie Balducci and Kelley Pacitto in Woodstock, Vermont, with Justice of the Peace Mary Riley.

Congratulations to

Chrissie Balducci
and
Kelley Pacitto

Chrissie Balducci and Kelley Pacitto of Massachusetts, were united on September 29, 2000. Accompanied by friends, family, and officiant Mary Riley, Justice of the Peace, they exchanged vows in lovely Faulkner Park in Woodstock, Vermont, after which they spent the day canoeing in Quechee. Kelly stated, "We have shared four beautiful years of life together and we are looking forward to the many that lie ahead. Vermont was a fabulous experience and everyone was very friendly." The couple decided on very casual attire and asked their guests to do the same. Kelly said, "It really took a lot of the pressure off knowing that not everything needed to be perfect." The couple have decided to share the last name of "Faulkner" in honor of the park where they stood to make a lifelong commitment to one another.

The "Faulkners"

Congratulations to

Thomas I. Lang

and

Alexander Westerhoff

Thomas I. Lang, 37, and Alexander Westerhoff, 31, antiques dealers from Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, held their civil union ceremony on July 1, 2000, at 12:30 a.m. in the Brattleboro Town Bandstand.

The couple, who have been together nearly 13 years, traveled to Vermont via limousine with four of their closest friends.

Gay-Civil-Unions.com extends their best wishes to the couple and congratulates them for becoming the first male couple and the first out-of-state couple to be united under Vermont's new civil union law. We wish them a long and happy life together.

Massachusetts - State Legislature

Petition of John H. Rogers, Francis L. Marini and Kevin Poirier relative to the invalidity of marriages contracted by persons of the same sex

Freedom to Marry Coalition of Massachusetts

GLAD.org - Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders

GLAAD Massachusetts

Lambda Legal - Massachusetts

PFLAG Greater Boston Area Chapters

PFLAG Brewster/Cape Cod

PFLAG Easton

Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Bar Association

Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus

The plaintiffs in the Massachusetts landmark case are fourteen individuals from five Massachusetts counties.

As of April 11, 2001, the date they filed their complaint:

Gloria Bailey, 60, and Linda Davies, 55, had been in a committed relationship for 30 years;

Maureen Brodoff, 49, and Ellen Wade, 52, had been in a committed relationship for 20 years and lived with their twelve year old daughter;

Hillary Goodridge, 44, and Julie Goodridge, 43, had been in a committed relationship for 13 years and lived with their five year old daughter;

Gary Chalmers, 35, and Richard Linnell, 37, had been in a committed relationship for 13 years and lived with their eight year old daughter and Richard's mother;

Heidi Norton, 36, and Gina Smith, 36, had been in a committed relationship for 11 years and lived with their two sons, ages five years and one year;

Michael Horgan, 41, and David Balmelli, 41, had been in a committed relationship for 7 years;

David Wilson, 57, and Robert Compton, 51, had been in a committed relationship for 4 years and had cared for David's mother in their home after a serious illness until she died.

The plaintiffs include business executives, lawyers, an investment banker, educators, therapists, and a computer engineer. Many are active in church, community, and school groups. They have employed such legal means as are available to them -- for example, joint adoption, powers of attorney, and joint ownership of real property -- to secure aspects of their relationships. Each plaintiff attests a desire to marry his or her partner in order to affirm publicly their commitment to each other and to secure the legal protections and benefits afforded to married couples and their children.

Urge your Senator
to oppose
S.J. Res. 26!

FROM HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN:

Last night, two days before Thanksgiving, five US Senators* introduced Senate Joint Resolution 26, a harmful and divisive Senate counterpart to the anti-gay "Federal Marriage Amendment" that has been unfortunately gaining support in the House since May. This resolution seeks to amend the U.S. Constitution to discriminate against GLBT families by defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

*Wayne Allard, R-Colo.; Sam Brownback, R-Kan.; Jim Bunning, R-Ky.; James Inhofe, R-Okla.; and Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. introduced the resolution.

It is vital that you contact your Senators at their district office and urge them to oppose S.J. Res. 26! Your Senators need to hear from you while they're in their district offices throughout the month of December!

To look up your Senators and their district office phone numbers, click here or visit: http://capwiz.com/hrc/dbq/officials/

The amendment seeks to permanently deny the right to marry, as well as virtually all other forms of legal recognition to same-sex couples, including the most basic legal protections. It further seeks to circumvent the right of state legislatures and courts to make decisions on basic government-administered protections, thereby forever denying gay and lesbian Americans fundamental rights and benefits such as hospital visitation, Social Security, inheritance and health care benefits.

The opposition is gearing up with phone calls and letters and we need to do the same. Please call your Senators today!

Click here or visit http://tinyurl.com/wo87 to read HRC’s full press release on S.J. Resolution 26.