Cambridge in the fore on gay marriage
The city of Cambridge plans to inaugurate gay marriage in Massachusetts by accepting marriage applications from same-sex couples at the stroke of midnight on May 17, giving it a jump on gay-friendly communities such as Provincetown and Northampton.
Cambridge officials said plans are underway for music to be played and wedding cake to be served at a City Hall celebration at 11 p.m. on May 16, followed at midnight by the clerk’s office opening its doors to the first samesex couples in Massachusetts to file forms announcing their intention to marry.
On May 17, Massachusetts will become the first state to allow gay marriage; with yesterday’s announcement Cambridge appears headed for the history books as the first municipality to allow same-sex couples to apply for marriage licenses. Other Massachusetts cities and towns — including Provincetown and Northampton, which have sizable gay and lesbian populations — plan to wait until normal opening hours on May 17 to begin accepting marriage applications.
Cambridge Mayor Michael A. Sullivan, who is scheduled to serve as the master of ceremonies, said the decision to open the clerk’s office at midnight underlines the city’s commitment to fairness. “This isn’t about us being first, this is about equality and equity,” Sullivan said. “This wasn’t a race.”
The Cambridge City Council plans to vote on the details of the gaymarriage kickoff tonight. City employees who work the night of May 16 plan to volunteer their time or receive compensatory time, Sullivan said. Judith St. Croix, first vice president of the Massachusetts Clerks Association, and Jo-Ann Citron, an attorney who has helped answer legal questions about same-sex marriage, said they had not heard of any other Massachusetts communities that plan midnight openings like Cambridge.Cambridge's early opening does not mean that couples can get married on the spot. State law stipulates a three-day period from the time they apply with a clerk's office until they can pick up their license and be married, though a judge can speed the process by waiving that three-day waiting period. Applications for same-sex couples have been prepared, but won't be available until May 17.
John R. Buonomo, register of probate in Middlesex County, said the courts would open as usual at 8 a.m. on May 17 to handle requests from couples who register in Cambridge or elsewhere and want to waive the waiting period.
Massachusetts has drawn international attention since the state Supreme Judicial Court ruled in November that it is unconstitutional to prohibit same-sex couples from marrying. Governor Mitt Romney and some lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully to block the ruling from being implemented. With two weeks remaining before the ruling takes effect, the debate has turned to how the nation's first same-sex marriages will be carried out.
This week the state will begin training sessions for city and town clerks. Some clerks have complained that the state has not provided enough guidance, and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino has said that he might ignore Romney's insistence that city officials ask gay couples for proof that they reside in Massachusetts. State law prohibits out-of-state couples from marrying in Massachusetts if their home states would not recognize the marriage, and Romney has asked that the law be enforced.
Yesterday, Romney's spokesman, Eric Fehrnstrom, said clerks would receive clear instructions at the training sessions. He also said that Menino's comments were "premature."
"Once he sees the instructions we are providing to city and town clerks, he will recognize we are simply upholding the law as it is written," said Fehrnstrom. He said clerks would have a "good deal of discretion on how they can satisfy themselves as to a person's residency," but he declined to give details.
Cambridge City Councilor Brian Murphy said the city's late-night opening will allow same-sex couples to get a headstart on getting married if they choose.
"We want to allow gays and lesbians to access this too-long-delayed right as quickly as they can," Murphy said.
Worcester City Clerk David J. Rushford said his office would open at 8:30 a.m. instead of 8:45 a.m. on May 17 to accommodate the large number of couples he expects from outside of Massachusetts. Rushford has pledged to defy Romney by issuing licenses to out-of-state couples.
In Northampton, where hundreds of same-sex couples took part in the annual gay and lesbian pride march on Saturday, Mayor Mary Clare Higgins said the city will not accept marriage license applications before regular business hours on May 17.
The clerk's office will open at 8:30 a.m., she said.
"The point here is that we're treating people equally," Higgins said yesterday. "We're opening the same time we always do."
In Provincetown, which has long been a haven for gay residents and visitors, the clerk's office will open as usual at 8:30 a.m. on May 17, said Selectwoman Cheryl Andrews. Andrews, who plans to apply for a wedding license that day with her partner, Jennifer Germack, said there has been little talk about opening the clerk's office in the middle of the night. "We're kind of a traditional town, contrary to what most people believe, so most of us are going to be sleeping at 2 a.m.," she said. "May 17 will be a big day for a lot of people. A lot of people will handle it better if we get a good night's sleep."
