The highest court in Massachusetts ruled yesterday that homosexual couples there can marry – and gay-rights advocates hope New York soon follows suit.
The Supreme Judicial Court ruled 4-3 in favor of seven same-sex couples who argued that denying them civil marriage licenses violated the state’s constitution.
While holding off granting marriage licenses to the seven couples, the court gave the Massachusetts Legislature six months to develop a way gay couples can wed.
But President Bush vowed to block the ruling.
“I will work with congressional leaders and others to do what is legally necessary to defend the sanctity of marriage,” he said in London.
The landmark decision, which legal experts say goes beyond even a previous Vermont decision that led to civil unions in that state, sent shock waves through the nation.
Elated gay-rights activists predicted the Massachusetts decision will lead to other states, including New York, to legalize same-sex marriages.
“We feel confident this will happen, the only question is when,” said Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, New York’s largest gay lobbying organization.
City and state government employees here are already covered by domestic-partner benefits.
State Sen. Thomas Duane (D-Manhattan), one of three openly gay members of the state Legislature, hailed the “historic” ruling and urged New York to pass a gay-marriage law during the upcoming 2004 legislative session.
Gov. Pataki and legislative leaders have been cool to legalizing gay marriage in New York.
State Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long and the state Catholic Conference vowed to strongly fight all efforts to legalize gay marriages.
“I don’t believe a society can survive if you throw out the notion of marriage being between one man and one woman,” Long said.
City Council Speaker Gifford Miller, who has sponsored several gay-rights bills, including one that recognizes gay marriages and unions entered into in other jurisdictions, said he’d be willing to go to Massachusetts and Albany to fight for gay rights.
“We, as a city, must recognize when others are taking the right steps, and I wish that New York will take that step forward and allow marriages here in New York, and I hope and believe that someday we will,” Miller said.
NO QUEER AYE
A new poll examines U.S. attitudes about homosexuality:
Gay marriages:
59% oppose it
32% favor it
Age group on gay marriages:
Age 20-30: evenly split
Age 60-70: oppose it 4-1
Homosexuality a sin?:
55%: yes
33%: no
9 in 10 white evangelicals: yes
3/4 of black Protestants: yes
Source: Pew Research Center