BREAKING NEWS: Massachusetts Says ‘No’ To Out-Of-Staters

Planning that big wedding in Provincetown? You might as well stay home; The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that same-sex couples from other states cannot obtain legal marriages there.
gay marriage 1.jpeg“Only nonresident couples who come to Massachusetts to marry and intend to reside in this commonwealth thereafter can be issued a marriage license” for a legal marriage, according to the ruling.

Massachusetts Governor/Republican bulldog Mitt Romney has become one of the main foes of gays around the country, but especially in his own state, which happens to be the only place in the U.S. where gays can legally wed. To stem the flow of out-of-state couples coming to Massachusetts to marry, Gov. Romney dusted off a segregationist law from 1913 that prevents couples from marrying in Massachusetts if the marriage would not be legal in their home state.

The law was challenged in court, but today the highest court of Massachusetts upheld it, effectively preventing out-of-state couples from marrying unless they plan to move to Massachusetts.

It’s nice to know that judges will approve of 100-year-old policy that is rooted in racism so long as it saves face and prevents political upheaval. We are disgusted.

gay marriage illustrationThe issue now rests in the state of New Jersey, where a legal battle for gay marriage is currently being argued in court; the outcome has been said to be tipped in favor of the gays. Hopes are especially high for that ruling, as New Jersey’s current marriage laws would allow non-resident gay couples to legally marry in New Jersey, and challenge the legality back home.

Court limits gay marriages in Massachusetts [CNN]
Lawsuits challenge racist law invoked to prevent same-sex marriage [The New Standard]
Massachusetts thwarts out-of-state gay marriage legality [TheBostonChannel]

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