Cambridge is First Mass City to Issue Licenses (Sun night)

Tears Of Joy At First Gay Marriage Licenses
by Michael J. Meade
365Gay.com Newscenter
Boston Bureau

Posted: May 17, 2004 12:32 am. ET
Updated: May 17, 2004 7:13 am ET
Updated: May 17, 2004 9:25 am ET

(Boston, Massachusetts) The city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Monday became the first community in America to issue marriage license forms to same-sex couples.

Cambridge Mayor Michael Sullivan threw open the doors of city hall about 10 p.m. Sunday night and invited dozens of same-sex couples into the building for a celebration to countdown the minutes until midnight.

There was a three-tiered wedding cake, pastries, and to wash it down, sparkling cider and coffee.

The Cambridge Community Chorus, the Greater Boston Lesbian Chorus, and a choir made up of children from several Cambridge elementary schools performed.

Couples were given numbers as they entered the second floor reception room. At the stroke of midnight, the first number was called.

Marcia Hams, 56, and her partner, Susan Shepherd, 52, entered the history books as the first same-sex couple in America to legally apply for a marriage licence. The couple arrived at city hall 24 hours earlier just to be able to claim the honor.

As the women were handed their marriage applications Hams said she was nervous.

"I'm shaking so much," she said as she filled out the form. "I could collapse at this point."

As each couple was given the forms to fill out, the line grew longer.

By dawn 250 couples had completed the forms, the first step in getting married. They must return to city hall in three days to pick up their licenses and then are able to legally marry.

As the couples left city hall huge cheers went up from well-wishers gathered outside. Police estimate the crowd at about 10,000, many of them straight.

Riot police stood by in case of trouble but only a handful of anti-gay marriage protestors showed up.

Cambridge originally intended to jumpstart issuing licenses long before today. Soon after the Supreme Judicial Court ruling last November that struck down the state's ban on gay marriage Cambridge began looking at ways to immediately issue licenses.

On the advice of its attorney, however, council decided to wait until today. Nevertheless it vowed to be the first community in the state and the country to begin issuing the licenses.

With their marriage applications in their hands several couples dashed to court seeking a waiver of the three-day waiting period to wed.

Among them were Tanya McCloskey, 52 and Marcia Kadish, 56. Once they had a judge's permission they rushed back to Cambridge city hall, got their marriage license and and exchanged vows in a ceremony performed by the city clerk.

''It was really important to us to just be married. We want to be married as soon as we possibly can. Part of it is, we don't know what the Legislature is going to do,'' McCloskey said.

Across the Charles River hundreds of people formed a long line in front of Boston city hall. (story)

©365Gay.com® 2004
with files from the Associated Press