Celebrating 20 Years of the Freedom to Marry

Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the freedom to marry!

Watch the event recording and a video about the victory for marriage equality.
Find photos from the event, courtesy of Susan Symonds and Mainframe Photographics.
And check out the virtual guest book.

On May 17, 2024, we celebrated 20 years of the freedom to marry – the first day same-sex couples could legally marry in the United States! To mark the happy occasion, community members came together to celebrate the anniversary and reflect on how far we’ve come as a country – and examine the work ahead to ensure that our country is a place where LGBTQ+ people can truly thrive in every area of life. 

The celebration featured leaders who paved the way for the freedom to marry two decades ago, advocates who are forging ahead on LGBTQ+ equality now, and special guests.

Speakers: 

• Reverend Kim Crawford Harvie of Arlington Street Church
• David Wilson and Rob Compton, Goodridge plaintiffs
• Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick
• Former Massachusetts Representative Paul Kujawski
• David Friedman, Executive Vice President, Legal and Government Affairs of the Boston Red Sox
• Joan Ilacqua, Executive Director of the LGBTQ+ History Project
• Tanya Neslusan, Executive Director of MassEquality
• Marc Solomon, Former Executive Director of MassEquality and author of Winning Marriage
• Adelia D., BAGLY Youth Leadership Committee Co-chair
• Ben Klein, Senior Director of Litigation and HIV Law at GLAD

Also featuring remarks from: 

• Governor Maura Healey
• Mary L. Bonauto, Senior  Director of Civil Rights and Legal Strategies at GLAD

Hosted by: GLAD, MassEquality, The History Project, Centerline Liberties, and Arlington Street Church

Watch the event recording and check out the YouTube playlist featuring videos from the Goodridge plaintiffs and news coverage of the anniversary: