State rings gay wedding bells
2004-05-17 19:59
Boston- The first state-sanctioned marriages of same sex couples were carried out on Monday in Massachusetts in a historic new landmark for gay rights.
The town of Cambridge, home to renowned Harvard University, stepped ahead of the state's 350 other municipalities by granting licenses shortly after midnight to more than 200 gay couples.
The first marriages were held on Monday morning after couples sought a court exemption from the state law requiring a three-day delay between applying for a license and a marriage ceremony, said Cambridge City Clerk Margaret Drury, who officiated at the weddings.
Cambridge, which is just north of Boston, said it would marry any couple who could get the waiver.
The state's 351 municipalities began granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples on Monday, six months after the state's Supreme Court struck down a ban on gay marriage from the state constitution.
- SAPA