Free to marry-Historic date arrives for same-sex couples... | Boston Globe

[Ediacara]

I can't believe this hasn't been posted yet...

Free to marry
Historic date arrives for same-sex couples in Massachusetts


Susan Shepard (right) and Marcia Hams (center) celebrated
today after becoming the first same-sex couple to apply
for a marriage license in Massachusetts.
(Globe Staff Photo / Dina Rudick)

By Yvonne Abraham and Rick Klein, Globe Staff | May 17, 2004

Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to permit gays and lesbians to wed just after midnight today, when Cambridge City Hall welcomed more than 250 same-sex couples who hugged, cried, cheered, and applied for the marriage licenses many thought they would never see in their lifetimes.

Outside City Hall, 10,000 supporters and onlookers gathered to witness the historic event, spilling off the grounds of City Hall, and clogging Massachusetts Avenue. Police in riot gear lined the street, but the anticipated clash between protesters and supporters of gay marriage never came: All but a handful of opponents stayed away.

"This is like winning the World Series and the Stanley Cup on the same day," said Susan Shepherd, 52, who, with her partner, Marcia Hams, 56, was the first to apply for a marriage license in Massachusetts. "I'm trying not to lose it. We just really feel awesome. It's awesome.

"There's a kid somewhere that's watching this," she continued, fighting back tears. "It's going to change his whole life."

More at the Boston Globe

[leQ]

1. i've never understood why they say "gays" AND "lesbians"

as if lesbians aren't gays too.

[tekriter]

2. They forgot the rest of the headline:

Sun Does Not Explode, Nobody Shows Up Wanting to Marry a Cat, Stock Market Still Opens On Time, Life Goes On.

[Ediacara]

3. LOL

[sui generis]

4. now that's a real "freedom"

the freedom to marry the person you love. Who would have thought that some Americans would have to fight so hard and so long for such a simple decency in this day and age? And look who the opponents are -- self-proclaimed "moral" people who claim that morality is denying the right to marry the person you love, and would deny some Americans the right to protect their family with the same financial and fiduciary rights afforded to other married couples. I can't think of an issue that affects the "defenders of marriage" less.

[David__77]

5. This is a tremendous victory for human rights.

It is crucial that no amendment be passed in MA or federally. This must be a litmus test for progressives.

[Heidi]

6. One barrier eliminated but others loom.

In northeastern Oklahoma, the Cherokee Nation issued a marriage license to two lesbians, who have since married and now are having trouble getting the Cherokee Nation Court Clerk to record their marriage. Meanwhile, tribal officials are scurrying about, trying to amend tribal law to prevent this sort of marriage from happening again. Sad, especially when you consider the fact that homosexuality is held in high esteem in many Native cultures.

Just my opinion, but I think extending marriage rights to ALL adults is one area where liberals could play a real leadership role. It's right and it's the future.

http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/updates/6382.html