Eight years ago today, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage. Since then, six states and the District of Columbia have followed suit and 131,729 same-sex couples have traded vows across the country as of last September. Recently, President Barack Obama became the first sitting president to support the rights of homosexual couples to wed.
It was on November 18th of 2003 when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that same-sex couples were legally entitled to marriage. The court gave the state six months to comply with the ruling, according to an old article from Boston.com, and by mid May, gay and lesbian couples could officially take to the alters. At the time, Mitt Romney was governor.
The case, Goodridge vs. the Department of Public Health sparked conversation on a national scale. It tipped a domino and the effect was irrevocable. Opponents feared for the future of Massachusetts. So how do we feel about it eight years later?
As of March, 58% of Massachusetts residents believe same-sex marriage should in fact be legal. More telling, however, is that 67% of Massachusetts residents polled by Public Policy Polling say the legalization of same-sex marriage “hasn’t made any impact at all” on their lives.
So much for tearing the moral fabric of society.
Still, North Carolina’s recent amendment defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman shows that our country is still very much divided on this issue.
It’s been eight years here, nearly a decade. We haven’t been swept out to sea. Everyone got on with his or her own life in the aftermath of the controversial legislation from 2004. Here in Massachusetts, it’s easy to think the rest of the country is playing catch up.
But progress isn’t inevitable. This battle will wage for some time.
We, the BostInno editorial team, are strong supporters of gay marriage and today, May 17, 2012, on the 8th anniversary of the legalization of same-sex marriage, we should appreciate that granting the pursuit of happiness and love to all people is old news in Massachusetts.
