About To Make History Again
David Wilson (l) and Rob Compton were plaintiffs in the Goodridge case that ended marriage discrimination against same-sex couples in Massachusetts. In anticipation of the May 6 hearing in GLAD’s DOMA challenge, we asked David to reflect on the experience of watching Mary Bonauto argue in court.
Mary Bonauto is a hero of mine. She is also a friend.
It was getting to know Mary – her compassion, her consideration, and her respect for us and our family – that convinced my husband Rob and I to become plaintiffs in the Goodridge case.
Throughout the span of the case, Mary was extremely protective of all of the plaintiffs and our families. She would check in with us to see how we were doing, ensure that the media attention wasn’t getting to be too much. It didn’t feel like we were working with a group of attorneys; it felt like we were working with part of our extended family.
When the time came for Mary’s oral argument at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, I expected that it would be overwhelming. It was a once in a lifetime experience, standing in the courtroom as the justices entered in their robes. As Rob puts it, “you suddenly got a sense that history was about to be made. That just sent chills down my spine, knowing we were a part of that.”
After everyone in the courtroom was seated, Mary stood up to make her opening argument. Things got quiet and everything was focused on her. And in a sudden role reversal, I actually started feeling protective of her. She had taken such good care of all of us throughout this process, and now here she was with this tremendous responsibility.
The plaintiffs all were sitting together. I was sitting next to (Mary’s spouse) Jenny. I took Jenny’s hand, and we both began to tear up before Mary even started to speak.
And then she began. She spoke for fourteen minutes straight—seemingly, without stopping to take a breath. One of the justices asked her to giver her one minute summary, and she did. Then she sat down.
In those fifteen minutes she summarized the case and told the stories of all our lives. The points she made were so clear in that chamber. And then she was done.
I describe it as my “Thurgood Marshall” moment, and it’s something I’ll never forget. My son was at the back of the courtroom and when I saw him tears were streaming down his face. I realized they also were streaming down mine.
All of us sitting in that courtroom recognized the history of that moment.
On May 6, as she argues in federal court against the unconstitutional discrimination of DOMA, I know Mary is about to make history again.