|
US state okays gay marriages
17/05/2004 08:21 - (SA)
Cambridge, Massachusetts - On Monday, Massachusetts became the first US state to legalise same-sex marriages.
In this city outside Boston the City Hall opened its doors one minute after midnight to allow gay and lesbian couples to receive marriage licenses.
Across the state, towns and cities were bracing for a wave of applications for marriage licenses from gay couples seeking to legally tie the knot for the first time.
The ceremonies became possible after the Massachusetts Supreme Court struck down an existing ban on gay marriage from the state constitution last November.
A constitutional amendment specifically banning same-sex marriages was adopted by the state legislature in March, but could only come into effect in late 2006 at the earliest.
|
News
