Out-of-state gay couples apply for marriage licenses

By Globe Staff

A day after Governor Deval Patrick signed a law allowing same-sex couples from out of state to get married here, a few couples are beginning to apply for marriage licenses.

Six or seven marriage license applications have been filed in Provincetown, and more are expected this afternoon, said Assistant Town Clerk Suzi Fults.

Governor Deval Patrick yesterday signed a bill repealing the 1913 law that prevented Massachusetts from marrying out-of-state couples if their marriages would not be legal in their home states.

The repeal drew condemnation from opponents of same-sex marriage, who predicted that the change would prompt same-sex couples from other states to marry here and demand that their home states recognize their unions, creating legal chaos. Gay rights activists and same-sex couples celebrated the repeal, saying it was an important step on the path to equality.

The repeal, which makes Massachusetts the second state after California to allow out-of-state same-sex couples to marry, is expected to draw thousands to the state. A recent study the Patrick administration commissioned estimated that 32,200 couples would come to Massachusetts to marry in the next three years, creating 330 jobs and adding $111 million to the economy.

The predicted flood of marriages didn't immediately manifest itself today. While some applications for licenses were filed in Provincetown, officials in Northampton and Boston said that they had been contacted by out-of-state same-sex couples but none had so far applied for marriage licenses.

• Comment
• Permalink
• Email