Tag Archives: Massachusetts

Excellent news. Yesterday the Massachusetts house passed a bill approving equal Medicaid benefits for married gays. Gov. Deval Patrick is expected to sign the bill, which was passed by the state House on July 15. The lawmakers’ actions defy the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which bans legally wed same-sex couples from receiving federally provided benefits such as Medicaid, the …

Today the Massachusetts Senate repealed the 1913 law limiting marriages performed there to residents of the state. The bill passed by a general voice vote with no objections. The bill now moves to the state House of Representatives where it is expected to pass overwhelmingly. Governor Deval Patrick has promised to approve the bill “proudly”, which will put a recognized-at-home …

Good news out of Massachusetts – by next week gay New Yorkers may have a shorter trip to get hitched. State lawmakers are expected to vote next week on repealing a 1913 law that prevents out-of-state gay and lesbian couples from getting married in Massachusetts, reigniting a divisive debate on an issue that has stirred passions and put the state …

“Because, of course, he didn’t know that I was gay then. So, for someone so publicly to fight for something that doesn’t even affect him was just like, ’That’s my dad,’ you know? That’s all I could think. I was very, very proud to be part of this family, and this state in general.” – Katherine Patrick, 18 year old …

Captioned with photos that mock the misty 1950’s image of domestic bliss, the lengthy cover story in yesterday’s New York Times Magazine tells the story of several gay male couples in their 20’s who have married in Massachusetts since it became legal in 2004. The author, a young gay man himself, was bewildered when some of his peers started getting …

As contrast to the North Carolina school board post earlier today, Lexington, Massachusetts school superintendent Paul Ash (left) is being threatened with physical violence by New Jersey radio host and white supremacist Hal Turner for advocating for LGBT youth. Turner posted Ash’s home address and phone number on his site. Police in Massachusetts are investigating. Lexington superintendent Paul Ash of …

Citing the Defense Of Marriage Act, the State Department has refused to issue a passport to a Massachusetts AIDS counselor under his new married hyphenated name. As an AIDS counselor, Jason Hair-Wynn wants to bring his expertise to Africa, a continent that has been ravaged by the disease. But when the Attleboro resident recently applied for a new passport so …

Denise Simmons became the first openly lesbian black woman to be mayor of an American city yesterday after her election by the city council of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Simmons was backed by the Victory Fund, which works to elect LGBT candidates nationwide. The outgoing mayor of Cambridge is an openly gay black man.

Remember the guy who sued the Massachusetts Bar Association after he failed their entrance exam because he refused to answer the question about gay marriage? Stephen Dunne’s federal suit prompted a national discussion on First Amendment rights, predictably garnering him support from the religious right. Well, he’s now apologized to the gay community in an email to Boston’s Bay Windows. …

Last week I told you about Massachusetts teen Claudia Contrada, who bravely came out despite her mother’s anti-gay activism with the loathsome MassResistance. Claudia’s story caused a flurry of interest from local gay rights organizations. She was invited to appear at a Massachusetts Youth Pride event and publications such as Bay Windows and the Boston Globe requested interviews. Claudia even …

“I have no jitters about our actual relationship. For me, this is for life. I have no reservations. But standing up in front of my family and my spouse’s and saying the vows out loud has me in a state of butterflies. I can go on TV and barely break a sweat, but I’m terrified of performing in front of …

Stephen Dunne, a would-be Massachusetts lawyer, is suing the state bar association, claiming that he just missed receiving a passing grade on his bar exam because he refused to answer a question about gay marriage. Dunne’s lawsuit seeks to have the question removed from future bar exams, claiming it required him to “affirmatively accept, support and promote homosexual marriage and …

Fresh off last week’s victory in stifling a possible reversal of gay marriage rights, Massachusetts advocates are now attempting a repeal of a 1913 law that only allows people from other states to marry in Massachusetts if their marriage would be recognized in their home state. The 1913 law was originally created to slow the spread of interracial marriages. Republican …

UPDATE: I neglected to mention that the vote below was much closer than it seems, as only 50 “yes” votes were needed to get the measure on the ballot. My apologies. In a 151-45 vote, Massachusetts legislators just voted “NO” to putting an anti-gay marriage amendment up to a statewide vote in 2008. Putting the amendment on the ballot would …

A Boston court ruled last week that gay New Yorkers married in Massachusetts can be considered legally married there, but more interestingly, they apparently can be considered legally married in New York too, but only if they were married between May 17th 2004 and July 6th, 2006. It wasn’t until July 6th, 2006 that New York state ruled that gay …