Another Step Towards Equality

Massachusetts has repealed a 95-year-old law that was being used to forbid same-sex couples from out of state from getting married there.

On Tuesday, the State Senate voted to repeal a 1913 law that prevents Massachusetts from marrying out-of-state couples if their marriages would not be legal in their home states. The repeal, which passed with no objections on a voice vote, is expected to pass the House later this week. Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat and a supporter of same-sex marriage whose 18-year-old daughter recently disclosed publicly that she is a lesbian, has said he will sign the repeal.

The repeal of the out-of-state marriage ban would come more than four years after Massachusetts became the first state to allow gay men and lesbians to marry, and same-sex marriage advocates said the timing was carefully calculated to catch the prevailing political — and economic — winds.

The law was originally passed to prevent interracial couples from getting married, but Mitt Romney -- remember him? -- cited it in 2004 as the reason he spoke out against the state becoming the first state to allow same-sex marriage. In his mind, and apparently that of the rest of the keepers of the Radical Homophobic Agenda, is that what was once good enough for racial discrimination is good enough for gay bashing.

Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, said the repeal “will open up a Pandora’s box of lawsuits to challenge the marriage requirements in other states.”

Mr. Mineau added, “And one thing for sure, it will affirm the need for a federal marriage amendment.”

Actually, it affirms the need for these ignorant tightass busybodies to get their minds off sex and start thinking about ensuring that everybody in this country has the same rights as everybody else. Do I need to list the reasons again?

(Cross-posted.)