Twenty years ago today [Saturday, Nov. 18], the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued its watershed decision in GLAD’s case Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, making Massachusetts the first U.S. state where same-sex couples could legally marry.
That breakthrough ruling spread joy across the state and the country and turbocharged the movement for the legal recognition of LGBTQ+ relationships, ultimately leading to the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court Obergefell decision and the freedom to marry nationwide. GLAD’s work bookends those accomplishments as we argued in both.
Read more about the history of the movement for marriage equality
It may be tempting to look back and think it was always inevitable. But especially at this moment, when we are facing some of the fiercest anti-LGBTQ+ attacks of our lifetimes, amid a coordinated effort to reverse all the gains we’ve made since the last century, it’s important to remember that today is the anniversary of a freedom that once seemed impossible.
It took all of us — community members, attorneys, organizers, and allies, to get us to that moment.
It took brave people challenging exclusion and injustice.
The seven Goodridge plaintiff couples, who GLAD celebrated as our 2023 Spirit of Justice Award honorees last week, not only challenged the law but told the stories of their relationships, their love of one another, and their desire to protect their families, with the world.
In the process they, and many others alongside and after them, shared, listened, answered questions, and helped build greater understanding and inclusion of LGBTQ+ people.
What led to transformative change then was all of us, staying engaged, staying positive, and standing up for our commitment to a future of full inclusion, equality, and freedom.
As we joyfully celebrate 20 years of marriage equality, we know we have many miles yet to go to reach that future. But as we travel, let us remember how far we’ve come as fuel for the journey. What seems impossible can be done. And together, we will do the impossible again.
Happy anniversary!
Toward justice,
Mary L. Bonauto
Senior Director of Civil Rights and Legal Strategies
She/her
— from a GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) press release
More: glad.org
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