Yesterday was the first anniversary of legal same-sex marriages in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Unitarian Univeraslist Association had a lovely reception for the plaintiff couples in the legal suit that brought about the equalization of marriage. Six of the seven couples were able to attend, as well as Mary Bonauto, the lawyer who represented them, and staff and volunteers from Mass Equality and Freedom to Marry, two civil rights groups here in Boston. Yummy cake, yummy cheese, and bubbly champagne–all smack dab in the middle of a work afternoon–then we trouped out to Boston Common for a photo op with the State House in the background.
For a more political and strategic take on the day, I liked what AndrewSullivan had to say:
Above all, we have changed consciousness. In civil rights movements, that’s what matters and that’s what endures. People forget that two decades ago, homosexuality meant simply sex for most Americans–and unsavory sex at that. Or it meant counter-cultural revolution. Or left-wing victim politics. By fighting the marriage fight, we changed the terms of that debate. We co-opted the language of our enemies–the language of family, love, responsibility, commitment. We did this not simply because it helps us win over the middle of American politics. But because it’s actually reflective of the reality of many of our lives.