Viva Massachusetts!
by Aaron Margolis, July 30th, 2008 at 12:41pm
With both the state Senate and House having voted to repeal the 1913 law that “blocked gay marriages” for out-of-state couples, we need only wait for Governor Patrick put to pen to paper before gay couples from all over come to Massachusetts to say their vows.
“Sometimes what you hope and pray for actually happens, which is kind of overwhelming,” Michael Thorne, 55, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, said after telling his 6-year-old son his parents could soon get married. Thorne and his partner of 25 years, James Theberge, have a wedding planned in Provincetown.
Opponents recoiled at the outcome.
“With that protective barrier removed, out-of-state same-sex couples who marry here will sue to seek recognition in their home states, creating a flood of costly lawsuits and further eroding the people’s right to define marriage democratically,” the Massachusetts Family Institute said.
Beyond the out-of-state same-sex couples that will undoubtedly circumvent the laws of their home states and get married here, what about the two straight 20-year-olds from Mississippi who can’t get married in their home state without parental consent (they must be 21-years-old to get married without parental consent)? If two gay 18-year-olds from Rhode Island can get married here, why can’t the straight 20-year-olds from Mississippi without parental consent get married here? How many lawsuits will be filed before all laws defining marriage are watered down so that anyone, gay, straight, 16-years-old, 21-years-old, 13-years-old….can get married anywhere?
The repeal of the 1913 law was done specifically to target out-of-state gay couples, but where will that end?
In the meantime, VIVA MASSACHUSETTS! Perhaps now is a good time to invest in roadside wedding chapels.
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1 Comment Add your own
1. Matt | August 6th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Actually, your two hypothetical 20 year olds from Mississippi wouldn’t have to travel all the way to Massachusetts to get married. They would simply need to cross the line to bordering Arkansas or Alabama. Both states would allow them to marry. Keep looking for a valid argument for why the 1913 law should have remained on the books.
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