Few same-sex couples saying 'I do'

Far fewer same-sex couples are getting married in Somerville, just five months after the city sparked a national controversy by defying the governor and marrying out-of-state same-sex couples.

The issue has not receded from political debate; it is dominating the heated rematch between the Democratic legislative candidates in Somerville. Recently, a group opposed to same-sex marriage sent hundreds of voters a pamphlet attacking Democratic legislative nominee Carl Sciortino for his alleged "militant" advocacy of gay rights. The group, the Article 8 Alliance, is supporting Representative Vincent P. Ciampa's write-in campaign against Sciortino, who defeated Ciampa in the primary.

But inside the city clerk's first-floor office, it's not clear what the fuss is about. On Monday, the city issued its first same-sex marriage license in over a month.

That's a far cry from May 17, the day the Supreme Judicial Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage went into effect. That day, about 50 people arrived at City Hall by 8:30 a.m., where they were greeted by Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and fed wedding cake. They strolled over flower petals in the hallway.

The state's 12th-largest city married 35 same-sex couples by the day's end. Twenty-seven more arrived that week, and an additional 26 wed during the following two weeks, dwarfing the number of opposite-sex pairs.

"It was pretty busy," said city clerk John J. Long. "It was festive."

That trend appears to be over. For the last 20 weeks, there have been more opposite-sex marriages than same-sex every week. The city is processing an average of about 2 same-sex marriages a week, compared with 12 opposite-sex couples.

Despite years of waiting, it appears some gay couples are hesitant to marry and undertake all legal and financial responsibilities, said Joe Beckmann, a founder of OutSomerville, an advocacy group.

"Now that it is legal, it makes it more real," he said. In San Francisco, the hundreds of gay couples who married were making a mostly symbolic gesture, akin to a commitment ceremony, Beckmann said. Their weddings were quickly invalidated in court.

Not so in Massachusetts. "It's not a political statement, it's a personal statement," Beckmann said. "They have to consult their tax counsel."

At least three lawsuits are pending in state court related to the rights of out-of-state same-sex couples to marry in Massachusetts. In one, Somerville's city clerk is listed as a defendant. But Long said the issue has all but disappeared."There was a jump at first because of such a pent-up demand," he said. "Now everybody who wanted to [marry] has, and we're just waiting for the new people falling in love."

Benjamin Gedan can be reached at gedan@globe.com.