Share your reaction to the gay marriage decision
Massachusetts's highest court ruled 4-3 that same-sex couples are legally entitled to wed under the state constitution, but stopped short of allowing marriage licenses to be issued to the seven couples who challenged the law. The court ordered the Legislature to come up with a solution within 180 days. What are your thoughts on the issue?
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I am overjoyed at the decision! My older sister is gay and I hate it when people look down at her because of her sexual orientation. She is a wonderful person who hid her feelings for many many years and suffered greatly because of it. This is a huge step in the right direction for equality in all genders and sexual orientation! Now lets go to the federal government!
Laura, Boston
I agree with the ruling. I don't see why civil marriages shouldn't be legal for all US citizens. As a firm believer that gays and lesbians are born that way, I don't see why we shouldn't encourage stable, productive families for everyone. The heterosexual divorce rate is so high, it doesn't seem like we should discourage any couple that wants to attempt a real partnership. Gays and straights alike should applaud anyone with the desire to make a marriage work.
Dan, Boston
Oh just fabulous. We have Finneran and Co. working on this now. If they're going to be defining marriage, they might as well just put heterosexual, Christian, and white in there as requisites for marriage. You know they want to.
Renee, Brighton
As a 40 year old Gay Man who has been with my Partner for over 5 years, I am very excited about the ruling. We both hold professional jobs, pay many tens of thousands in income taxes, pay over $7,000.00 a year in property taxes for a primary home in Boston and a summer home on Cape Cod. We contribute to society in a very big way and simple ask for the same rights as everyone else in America receives. It is hard to believe that anyone in the " straight " world could be concered that " gay " marriage is going to harm them. I would be more concered if I were " straight " about the massive divorce rate among those "straight " marriages and the ability for a " straight" couple to meet someone at a bar in Las Vegas and decide to marry them legally 15 minutes later legally or a person who can be on death row and have a marriage license issued to them 15 minutes before they are scheduled to be exterminated. All I ask for is simply the same rights and benefits of marriage. You can call it anything you like such as a civil union as long as my Partner and I have the same rights and beneifts. We contribute much more to society then many of those fools who don't work, don't pay taxes and have multple marriages. Thank you.
Dan, Boston
Call it a civil union between two people and not marriage and I have no problem with it. There is no reason that the entitlements normal, married couples have should not be extended to gay couples as well. But call it a civil union. I feel that marriage is more a part of religion than a part of the government.
Mike R, Quincy
Now all we can hope is that this can stand up with the legislature, avoid a constitutional ammendment and finally the big deal about this MIGHT die down. For many years I have asked myself why so many people have such a problem with this. This is a declaration of a CIVIL marriage, it does not state that the Catholic church or other religious organizations has to recognize it. Just as divorce is not accepted by some religous organizations, but exists as a civil action, so now marriage between same-sex couples can happen and those people can get all the benefits of any other committed, loving couple. If those benefits meant for the purpose of procreation as has been stated, then should marriage should also be forbidden to post-menopausal women and others who cannot have children? Should a couple's marriage be reviewed after, say, 10 years, and if they have not had children, should they lose their married status? People need to learn to accept that gay people are fundamentally no different from anyone else and deserve to be treated the same as everyone else.
Dave, Andover
What two adults want to do is their business. If your religion is against gay marriage, that is fine; but that is not what rules our country. Many people have no religion, or a religion that accepts gay marriage. We definitely have to protect the rights of all citizens and this is one step forward.
Terry, Somerville, MA
It's about time! :-) MA shows its progressiveness once again.
Andy, Boston
Does anyone else see that same-sex marriages just aren't supposed to happen? Also that it is physically impossible for a man to create a child with another man, and a woman to create a child with another woman. It just isn't supposed to happen. Men are supposed to marry women, and women men. You get married to start a family, and have children to complete that family. A child needs a mother and a father to be raised in the best possible way. I can guaruntee that a child with "parents" of the same sex, will have a difficut life. Children don't deserve that. Does anyone else see that?
Michael, Cambridge
I am glad to see the court made a step in the right direction of equality for all persons. I hope the legislature follows suit and brushes away those ridiculous notions that same sex unions hurt the state, childen or marriage.
Cindy , Gloucester
