Massachusetts’ March Toward Equality

In a historic vote yesterday, the Massachusetts State Senate unanimously repealed a 1913 law blocking gay and lesbian couples from other states from marrying in Massachusetts. Senator Dianne Wilkerson, a Roxbury Democrat and champion of the repeal stated, “People have become resigned to the fact that all the chaos that was predicted in 2004 — the sky was going to fall, it would be catastrophic — it never happened. And so it has become, as we expected it would, as much a part of the reality of life in Massachusetts as anything else.”

The obscure law remained on the books until gay marriage became an issue. Then Governor Mitt Romney cited the law in an attempt to prevent Massachusetts from becoming what he called “the Las Vegas of gay marriage.” Frankly, Mitt Romney is just a footnote in Massachusetts now and all the dire consequences he predicted as a result of gay marriage have not come to pass. “This is a very simple law, contrived in shame, and it exists in shame, and we ought to wipe it off the books ” said State Senator Mark C. Montigny.

Senator Sal DiMasi supports repealing the law by the end of the session, which is July 31. It is expected that the House will take up the measure and it will be signed by Governor Deval Patrick in short order. The move toward equality in Massachusetts has been strong, with residents keeping the measure to ban gay marriage off the November ballot.

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