I can't believe this hasn't been posted yet...Free to marry
Historic date arrives for same-sex couples in MassachusettsSusan Shepard (right) and Marcia Hams (center) celebrated
today after becoming the first same-sex couple to apply
for a marriage license in Massachusetts. (Globe Staff Photo / Dina Rudick)
By Yvonne Abraham and Rick Klein, Globe Staff | May 17, 2004
Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to permit gays and lesbians to wed just after midnight today, when Cambridge City Hall welcomed more than 250 same-sex couples who hugged, cried, cheered, and applied for the marriage licenses many thought they would never see in their lifetimes.
Outside City Hall, 10,000 supporters and onlookers gathered to witness the historic event, spilling off the grounds of City Hall, and clogging Massachusetts Avenue. Police in riot gear lined the street, but the anticipated clash between protesters and supporters of gay marriage never came: All but a handful of opponents stayed away.
"This is like winning the World Series and the Stanley Cup on the same day," said Susan Shepherd, 52, who, with her partner, Marcia Hams, 56, was the first to apply for a marriage license in Massachusetts. "I'm trying not to lose it. We just really feel awesome. It's awesome.
"There's a kid somewhere that's watching this," she continued, fighting back tears. "It's going to change his whole life."
More at the
Boston Globe