Mass Supreme Court Allows Gay Marriages in 180 days

[SOS]

ABC News (http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20031118_694.html)


Mass. Court Strikes Down Gay-Marriage Ban
Massachusetts Court Rules Ban on Gay Marriage Is Unconstitutional, Orders Legislature to Fix Problem


BOSTON Nov. 18 — Massachusetts' highest court ruled Tuesday that same-sex couples are legally entitled to wed under the state constitution, but stopped short of allowing marriage licenses to be issued to the couples who challenged the law.
The court ruled 4-3, ordering the Legislature to come up with a solution within 180 days.

The Supreme Judicial Court's ruling closely matches the 1999 Vermont Supreme Court decision, which led there to the Legislature's approval in 2000 of civil unions that give couples many of the same benefits of marriage.

The decision is the latest in a series of victories for gay rights advocates, but fell short of what the seven couples who sued the state had hoped to receive: the right to marry their longtime companion.

The Massachusetts question will now return to the Legislature, which already is considering a constitutional amendment that would legally define a marriage as a union between one man and one woman. The state's powerful Speaker of the House, Tom Finneran of Boston, has endorsed this proposal.

A similar initiative, launched by citizens, was defeated by the Legislature last year on a procedural vote.

[norton23]

UGGGGGHHHH THIS SUCKS FAAAGEEETS!

[IRISHJERICHO]

Gay Marco and Jay mohr can be together:drunk:

[Stinkysteve]

Originally posted by norton23
UGGGGGHHHH THIS SUCKS FAAAGEEETS!

You should not look at it that way...
Now gay couples can experience the same hell that straight couples suffer through!

[Screwtape]

exactly, give them 20 years of divorce hearings and spouse abuse and it wont seem like such a great idea anymore

[norton23]

Hoie Car said it best when he explained that many of gay men will marry to get health benefits and it will completely screw with the cost of health care and health insurence.

[Sinn Fein]

Yea... All that money going towards treatment for the HIV...

[wackadoo]

who cares if they can get married? doesn't bother me in the least.

[peewee]

Originally posted by wackadoo
who cares if they can get married? doesn't bother me in the least.
i agree, your not going to get rid of them so you might as well let them get married. plue maybe they would shut up for a little bit

[Jolie]

Actually, I am guessing that allowing homosexuals to marry would decrease the likelihood of aids. People in committed marriages are far less likely to stray, which provides for a more monogamous relationship, and less disease associated with non-monogamous relationships. Of course, thats just my theory.

But regardless, why care? If homosexuals want to marry, why not let them? It does nothing to you personally. Many companies already offer domestic partnership benefits, which means health insurance is already available to people in domestic partnerships.

Also, if people are pissy because supposedly gay marriage "does not promote families" then they should STFU... Divorce also doesnt promote families, and yet it is legal... Married heterosexual couples who decide not to have children do not promote the idea of families, so perhaps it should be a law that all couples must try to procreate or they cant get married? I mean really... its insane.

[droogsteve]

Originally posted by Jolie
Actually, I am guessing that allowing homosexuals to marry would decrease the likelihood of aids. People in committed marriages are far less likely to stray, which provides for a more monogamous relationship, and less disease associated with non-monogamous relationships. Of course, thats just my theory.I don't really agree with that. The people who will get married are the ones already in long term monogamous relationships. They are not the ones who are speading HIV. Marriage doesn't lead to commitment, it's the other way around.

I agree with everything else though. It's none of my business who someone else wants to marry. What's next? Will the government will tell me that I can't get drunk and marry a stripper that I meet in Vegas?! Hilariously stupid celebrity marriages and the subsequent entertaining nasty divorces that follow could be next!

Gay people should have the same right as straight people to make a terrible mistake.

[Jolie]

Originally posted by droogsteve
I don't really agree with that. The people who will get married are the ones already in long term monogamous relationships. They are not the ones who are speading HIV. Marriage doesn't lead to commitment, it's the other way around.

I think its a two way street... Commitment may initially lead to marriage, but marriage is what often times keeps commitment strong... Marriage is hard work, much harder than a relationship, because theres more emotionally and financially at stake if the marriage ends. I know I would be a lot more likely to sleep around if I weren't married.

[droogsteve]

I suppose you may have a point. I guess it depends on the person. I think marriage only complicates things from a legal standpoint. I don't plan on having kids, so I don't see why it would be necessary. I'm committed to my girlfriend, and I don't see how getting married could increase my commitment. I don't believe in screwing around, period. If I wanted to be with other women, I wouldn't have a girlfriend. I would hate to think that I was even subconsciously staying in an unhappy relationship just to avoid legal complications.

[Jolie]

I just think a legal binding makes it where you will work harder sometimes... Marriage/relationships are NOT easy... there are up and down times in any relationship. Not that a non-marriage relationship would dissolve during the bad times necessarily, but the legal aspect seems to add a separate level of commitment.. its harder to walk away.

[Sinn Fein]

I don't give a flying F about this issue as long as it doesn't impact me in any way, shape, or form. As long as my taxes, health insurance, or anything else doesn't increase as a result of letting homosexuals get married, go for it. Although I don't personally agree with the lifestyle, if it will make the homosexual special interest groups STFU I've got no problem with it. Marriage is between a man and a woman, as far as I am concerned. If they could extend the same legal benefits to homosexuals through some other defined terminogy for their "union" that would be better.

[Darkstar]

Now I am just waiting to hear if there is a wedding or 2 I will need to go to now.

Call it marriage, call civil union ( like VT) whatever. I lived in VT when the civil union law passed and you know what it meant, nothing for me. Except that some friends of mine no longer had to carry power of attorny letters with them in their wallets so that if 1 of them went into the hospital the other could me medical decisions.

That is really what this is all about. The benefits of not having to have a will and creating a union where the family can't contest the will, ability to make medical decisions and joint insurance and property ownership. Just wanting to be equal under the law.

My favorite is the attempt to degenerate quickly into "AIDS" comments. Completely ignoring the fact that the spread is most likely to happen either through IV drug use or sex with someone that is an IV drug user.

It is true that homosexual males are more suceptable because of their....um.....how should I put this, love making style. The least likely way is male/female sex. But it is a matter of people doing it with high risk partners. Look at places like Africa where there are widespread AIDS problems it is straight sex.

That being said, I hope this works out whether it be marriage or just something that provides the same benefits.

On the health care portion, I have now worked for 2 companies that added in same sex partner health care and it did not affect our rates at all.

[armymad]

i wonder what gay mario have to say about this

[ih8Uboo-boo]

Originally posted by armymad
i wonder what gay mario have to say about this

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY!!!!!



what else would you expect a gay man to say...WADDLE DOODLE...:idontknow