Today, the Massachusetts trial court ruled against seven same-sex couples who challenged Massachusetts laws that deny them the fundamental right to marry.  The case was filed on behalf of the plaintiff couples in April, 2001, by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and was argued before Suffolk Superior Court Judge Thomas E. Connolly on March 12, 2002.  The couples plan to appeal.

“This is just the beginning.  We have always known that there will be no final resolution in this case until it is heard by the Supreme Judicial Court.  Our objective in this round was primarily to begin the process of making our case for equal treatment of all families in the Commonwealth,” remarked Jennifer Levi, senior staff attorney at GLAD and co-counsel in the case.

Reaction from the couples was immediate.  “We are deeply disappointed that the court did not recognize that we seek simply the same legal protections for our family that other committed couples throughout the Commonwealth enjoy,” said Hillary Goodridge who together with her partner Julie Goodridge has been in a committed relationship of 14 years.

The court based its denial of marriage licenses on a legal conclusion that having and raising children is central to the purpose of marriage, despite acknowledging that 4 of the 7 couples in the case have children and that Massachusetts law allows same-sex couples to jointly adopt.

“The decision is particularly troubling because Heidi and I, like many of our gay and lesbian neighbors, have children.  We feel strongly that our sons deserve the same level of protection that other children in the state enjoy,” commented Gina Smith who together with her partner Heidi Norton sought to marry, in part, to ensure that their sons would grow up in a world where their parents’ relationship is legally and communally respected.

Other plaintiff couples in the case are: Michael Horgan and Ed Balmelli of Boston, who are both from large families in Central Massachusetts; Maureen Brodoff and Ellen Wade of Newton who have a 12-year-old daughter; Gloria Bailey and Linda Davies of Orleans who have been a couple for 30 years; Richard Linnell and Gary Chalmers of Northbridge who are the parents of an eight-year-old daughter; and Robert Compton and David Wilson of Boston, who are each parents of grown children.  David is also the grandfather of four.