Massachusetts Scraps Anti-Gay Marriage Law

Posted on Jul 29, 2008

Flickr / PLAN.9

Back when Mitt Romney was the (allegedly gay-friendly) governor of Massachusetts, he used an obscure 1913 law with racist origins to keep the state from becoming “the Las Vegas of gay marriage.” Bay State lawmakers have just repealed that law, but the new situation in Massachusetts won’t be a first because California already permits same-sex weddings for out-of-state residents.

Boston Globe:

The House today voted 118 to 35 to repeal a 1913 state law that prevents gay and lesbian couples from most other states from marrying in Massachusetts.

The measure, which the Senate passed earlier this month, will head to the desk of Governor Deval Patrick, who is expected to sign it into law. The move will clear the way for out-of-state couples to marry in Massachusetts, making it the second state to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry regardless of their place of residence.

“I’m glad we finally did it,” said Representative Byron Rushing, a Boston Democrat, who described the repeal on the House floor as a “question of fairness and ... a question of equality.”

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