| |
|
|
It won’t issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples just yet. But city officials have asked the legislature to support the SJC’s ruling on marriage
BY DEIRDRE FULTON
|
|
|
|
|
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2003 -- Cambridge always needs to stay ahead of the mainstream, one Cambridge city councilor pointed out at Monday night’s council meeting. And on the issue of gay marriage, it looked like that trend would be no different. Not satisfied with last Tuesday’s Supreme Judicial Court ruling that said banning gay marriages in the state was unconstitutional, several councilors had crafted a controversial resolution that would have allowed Cambridge city clerks to start issuing marriage licenses immediately. But state and legal officials (including Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders attorney Mary Bonauto, who argued the gay marriage case before the SJC) publicly advised the city to wait 180 days as the SJC opinion recommended, and the councilors ultimately backed down from their plan. However, after hearing passionate arguments from several councilors, including openly gay Councilors Denise Simmons and Kenneth Reeves, the council unanimously passed a resolution ensuring that the moment the six-month deadline before civil marriage licenses can be issued to lesbian and gay couples is up, such couples will be able to walk into the Cambridge city clerk offices and get marriage licenses. With the passage of Monday's resolution, Cambridge has the next 170 days (as of this writing) to ready the city in every way possible for the issuance of civil marriage licenses to same-sex couples. "The barriers of civil rights to the [gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender] community -- my community -- have been lifted," Simmons said to her colleagues, imploring them pass the resolution in order to "remove impediments" to gay marriage. Before the meeting, Simmons discussed how the city could fulfill the council's order, even though the resolution to immediately issue marriage licenses was withdrawn. Simmons' suggestions included changing paperwork, creating brochures to outline the responsibilities and benefits of marriages and holding public discussions to increase tolerance. Reeves, who had just returned from the annual gathering of the International Network of Lesbian and Gay Officials and wore a pink tie in honor of the historic day, praised the SJC and encouraged the council to pass the resolution and work toward equality for all. "I didn't realize how free I had not been," said Reeves, who has been with his partner, Greg Johnson, for 33 years. "I'm hoping we'll have a lot of discussion within our community about what marriage means," he added after the council meeting. A second resolution, also passed unanimously, requested for the City Manager to report back to the council on how the SJC ruling would "impact the city's ability to once again extend benefits to same-sex partners of city employees." The other two resolutions called for a council discussion of gay marriage and pushed the state Legislature to act quickly to enact legislation implementing the court's ruling.
|
