By Mitchell Cook
Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriages yesterday, May 17, making the United States one of only four countries in the world where homosexual couples can legally marry.
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that beginning midnight yesterday, gays and lesbians must be allowed to marry.
Couples were lined up as early as midnight on Saturday - 24 hours before the scheduled deadline for same-sex marriages to become legal - to get the first spot in line to receive the state-sanctioned gay marriage applications.
The first couple to begin filling out the paperwork was Marcia Hams, 56, and her partner, Susan Shephard, 52, of Cambridge, according to the Associated Press.
'I''m shaking so much,' Hams told the AP as she filled out the application.
Many people outside the courthouse celebrated, complete with a giant wedding cake, the landmark decision made by the state''s highest court. Anxious couples from across the state showed up early to participate in the ceremonies.
'People do this for Red Sox tickets and concert tickets,' Hams told the AP, a health care advocate who has been with Shephard, a graduate student, for 27 years. 'Certainly we can do it for this.'
Massachusetts became the center of controversy and the debate on gay marriage after the state''s Supreme Judicial Court issued a 4-3 ruling that gays and lesbians have a right under the state constitution to wed.
For days, the opponents of same-sex marriage have looked to the federal courts for assistance in overturning the Massachusetts court''s ruling. However, on Friday the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene.
Since the November ruling in Massachusetts, many BYU students are joining together in a grass roots effort to strengthen what they believe as the true institution of marriage between a man and a woman. However, they don''t plan to do any protesting like the Kansas-based church.
'I don''t think same-sex marriages are constitutional, but protestors shouldn''t show hatred towards those people,' said Mike Bewsey, 23, a senior from San Clemente, Calif. 'We need to be Christ-like and show them the right way through love.'
Dr. Alan Hawkins, a professor in the School of Family Life, thinks the Massachusetts law has little or no effect on the BYU community.
'With BYU''s relationship with the LDS church and the restored gospel, our principles and practices are firm and this isn''t going to change any of our standards,' Hawkins said.
Massachusetts joins the Netherlands, Belgium and three Canadian provinces as the only places in the world where gays can marry. The rest of Canada is expected to legalize same-sex marriage in the near future.
The couples were not met without some opposition. More than 15 protestors, most from Topeka, Kan.-based Westboro Baptist Church, stood near Cambridge City Hall carrying anti-gay slogans Sunday night. The group, led by the Rev. Fred Phelps Sr., travels around the country protesting homosexuality, according to the AP.
Both sides in the debate on same-sex marriage say the issue will be extremely important in the November elections across the nation.