FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 4, 2003

Massachusetts’ Highest Court Hears Landmark Marriage Suit

Massachusetts' Highest Court Hears Landmark Suit Seeking Civil Marriage for Lesbian and Gay Couples

(Boston, MA) The full bench of the state Supreme Judicial Court heard arguments today in the landmark case seeking the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry in Massachusetts. A decision in the case filed and argued by New England’s Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) is expected sometime this summer.

Goodridge, et al. v. Department of Public Health centers on seven plaintiff couples who seek the right to civil marriage under the Massachusetts Constitution. The suit argues that the right to marry the person of one’s choice is protected under the state constitution, and further, that the state cannot justify excluding gay and lesbian couples and their families from the institution of marriage and the hundreds of protections it provides.

“These couples, like thousands of others in every community throughout the state, are bound by a profound love and commitment. Even though they have the same needs and concerns as other families, they shoulder added burdens simply because they cannot marry ,” said Mary L. Bonauto, GLAD’s Civil Rights Director, who argued the case.

The seven plaintiff couples have been in committed relationships between six and 32 years, and four of the couples are raising children. Each couple was denied a marriage license by local officials which led to the filing of the suit in April, 2001.

“It has always been the role of the courts in our system of government to say when a law draws the wrong line,” Bonauto added. “This is the wrong line. Only “marriage” conveys the love and commitment that others automatically understand and respect. Only “marriage” provides a legal safety net protecting the couple’s emotional bonds and their economic security. Equal marriage rights would strengthen these families and the communities of which they are an integral part.”

For more information about the case as well as profiles on the plaintiff couples, go to www.glad.org.