As of today, Massachusetts is no longer the only state to allow the legal marriage of same sex partners. California's Supreme Court just struck down a ban on gay marriages, making it the second state in the union to allow same sex marriages. Tiny Massachusetts has allowed gay marriages for a few years now, and funny thing.... nothing in the state has really changed. Most couples that marry here in MA are your regular bride and groom couples. But not all. For that most of the state is thankful. But not all. There are always going to be people that speak of same sex marriages as an abomination, against the bible, and will fight to strike down the law. Thankfully, they remain in the minority.
What interests me about our New England area is that every state save Rhode Island allows some sort of domestic partnerships. Same-sex marriage is recognized only in Massachusetts, but four states -- Vermont, New Jersey, Connecticut and New Hampshire -- have civil unions. California has been one of five states -- along with Hawaii, Maine, Washington and Oregon -- with domestic partnership or reciprocal benefits laws that provide some marriage-like rights to same-sex couples. Now, of course, California joins Massachusetts in providing full legal rights to same sex couples.
What is about New England that makes us so much more accepting of same sex unions? It isn't that we're more liberal. I think anyone who has set foot in New Hampshire realizes that it isn't the most liberal state in the union by any means. It has nothing to do with the weather, right? So what is it that makes our little corner of the country welcome same sex couples?
I love that my city in MA has performed almost 300 same sex marriages since the law changed in 2004. These are all families living in our small city, sending their kids to our schools, and voting in our town elections. They are our neighbors, our friends, our classmates, and our fellow congregants. We live in harmony, we see no differences between these families and another other family. In the almost 4 years since MA has legalized gay marriage, nothing untoward has happened. We haven't legalized bestiality, incest, or any other of the horrors predicted by opponents of this law. In fact, life has gone on and same sex marriages barely ever even pass our minds. It's just another fact of life here in MA. I would dare to say that this is the same in other parts of New England, were domestic partnership has removed so many of the fears and worries of gay families, especially with regards to medical proxies and legal decisions.
So congratulations to California. And hopefully the rest of the country will eventually follow suit.
What is it about New England? For all its roots in bizarre Puritanical custom, I think New England is also a place where people believe in leaving each other the hell alone.
Amen to that.
And yay, California!
Posted by: sandy | May 17, 2008 at 10:10 AM