Results tagged “1913”

1913 MARRIAGE LAW REPEALED At noon today, Governor Patrick made official the repeal of the 1913 law that bars out of state couples from marrying in the Commonwealth. Originally drafted in response to interracial marriage, proponents of the law claimed that the issue was one of states' rights and that a repeal would be a way for liberal Massachusetts to export gay marriage to the rest of the country. Whether we will become the "Las Vegas of gay marriage" as some have foretold remains to be seen; keep an eye out for an influx of particularly flamboyant Elvises to the Commonwealth.

The House of Representatives has voted 118-35 to strike down the state's 1913 law that prevents people from getting married here if they couldn't legally get married in their home state. Originally passed as a way of preventing uppity interracial couples from coming here for a quickie wedding, it looked like one of those quaint and ridiculous "no putting squirrels down your pants for the purpose of gambling" laws. Until it became relevant again, when Massachusetts became the first state to allow same-sex marriage. Now, gay couples from Alaska to Arkansas can come here, get legally married, and then go home and try to get their own states to recognize it. Critics like former Governor Mitt Romney say this will turn Massachusetts into the "Las Vegas of gay marriage"; proponents, seeing how much moolah flows in and out of Vegas (mostly in) on a daily basis, wonder why exactly that's a bad thing. The repeal now needs to be signed by Gov. Patrick, but he seems enthusiastic about doing so.