Legalization of gay marriage in massachusetts

The section on family law covers marriage of same-sex couples, adoption, custody and visitation, domestic violence, and other legal protections for same-sex couples. Twenty years ago, on May 17, , Mary Bonauto, the lead attorney in the case that made Massachusetts the first state to grant same-sex couples the right to marry, attended the wedding of two of her clients, Robert Compton and David Wilson. They were among the first same-sex couples to wed that day, months after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court found that the state constitution granted same-sex couples the right to marry. The November ruling was followed by a six-month waiting period that brought four lawsuits trying to prevent couples like Compton and Wilson from marrying, but none were successful.

Same-sex marriage has been legally recognized in Massachusetts since May 17, , as a result of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruling in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health that it was unconstitutional under the Constitution of Massachusetts to allow only opposite-sex couples to marry. Last Updated: May 28, Over the course of the day, 77 other same-sex couples tied the knot across the state, and hundreds more applied for marriage licenses. The day was characterized by much celebration and only a few of the expected protests materialized.

According to the GLAD (GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders) organization, in a historic decision, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled on November 18, , that same-sex couples have the right to civil marriage in Massachusetts. A journalist reflects on how much things have changed in 15 years. The moment felt historic. But it also felt precarious, as if the history being made could be unmade at any moment.

After the decision, 36 states and Washington, D.C., followed Massachusetts in legalizing same-sex marriage. In June , the Supreme Court ruled remaining state bans on same-sex. In a report from May 17, , LGBTQ couples in Massachusetts exchanged vows marking the first time same-sex marriage was recognized as legal in the U. Some lawmakers criticized the state over the decision and wanted to overturn the law. May 7,