Anniversary party: one year after gays were allowed to marry, Massachusetts couples are feeling optimistic. Meanwhile, the state didn't fall into the sea as some conservatives predicted.

Chuck Colbert and Troy Golladay clearly remember the early-morning hours of May 17, 2004, waiting in line for a marriage license at a crowded city hall in their hometown of Cambridge, Mass., to become one of the first same-sex couples legally permitted to marry in the Bay State.

Cambridge was unique in that it opened its doors to gay and lesbian couples to marry at the stroke of midnight--ushering in a new day in Massachusetts and across the country.

One year later to the day, the atmosphere was no less festive at Cambridge City Hall as the city hosted one of the many celebrations marking the one-year anniversary of marriage equality in Massachusetts. "It's been one short year," remarked Colbert, who partook in the anniversary cake and sparkling apple cider that was served, "but it was a big one."

Big indeed. By May 17, 2005, nearly 6,200 same-sex couples had tied the knot in Massachusetts, still the only state where marriage equality for gays and lesbians is the law of the land. And the reverberations were felt across the nation, for better or worse.

In April, Kansas became the latest state to pass a constitutional amendment barring gays from marrying. Connecticut passed civil unions legislation in April, the first state to do so without being compelled to by a court ruling. [See "Silver Lining," page 91.]

And while the rhetoric may have been stepped up a notch in the rest of the nation, the debate--while still present--has noticeably calmed down in Massachusetts. "We were told that if the state of Massachusetts legalized such an ungodly act as same-sex marriage, not only would the institution of marriage crumble but it would also bring about the demise of civilization," the Reverend Irene Monroe, a doctoral candidate at Harvard Divinity School and a Cambridge resident, said during her invocation at the City Hall celebration. "But none of that happened. The next day went on as usual."

Although the mood across the state was one of jubilance for gay and lesbian couples, there are still lingering fears about a pending state constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman and set up a civil unions system. It was passed by the state legislature last year and if approved again this year, it will go before voters in 2006.

But former Massachusetts state senator Cheryl Jacques, who married her partner, Jennifer Chrisler, last August, is optimistic that the amendment will be defeated. "I have great confidence in my colleagues in Massachusetts," says Jacques, who is former head of the Human Rights Campaign and now splits her time between Massachusetts and Washington, D.C.

Chrisler, who legally changed her last name to Jacques, says that being legally married has had practical as well as personal implications. "Now there is a level of security about our financial situation. It takes away a certain level of stress," says Chrisler, who with Jacques is raising their 3-year-old twin boys.

Chrisler, executive director of the national Family Pride Coalition, noted that her name change points out the "logistical nightmare" that is the state-by-state approach to marriage equality. While her last name is Jacques in Massachusetts, it remains Chrisler in D.C. because the district does not recognize same-sex marriage.

But that patchwork approach isn't likely to change anytime soon. A recent poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center commissioned by The Boston Globe shows that half of Americans disapprove of same-sex marriages and do not want their states recognizing such marriages from Massachusetts [see page 97]. Only 37% approve, while 11% remain neutral.

So there is still work to be done, says Jacques, although Massachusetts remains an important example for the rest of the nation. "The more time passes, the more it's no big deal. There were predictions of the quality of life deteriorating in Massachusetts if same-sex couples were allowed to marry, but none of those dire predictions came true," she says. "In fact, in the past year, we won the Super Bowl and the World Series, and the economy is getting stronger. So I think we're doing just fine."

BY THE NUMBERS | NATIONAL POLL

Do you approve of legalized same-sex marriage?
NO 50% YES 37% NEUTRAL 11%

Do you think legal same-sex marriages from
Massachusetts should be recognized in your state?

NO 50% YES 46%

Do you support civil unions for gay couples?

NO 46% YES 41%

Source: University of New Hampshire Survey Center and The Boston Globe

SILVER LINING

Progress trumps backlash

While many reports characterized last November's election results as a backlash to gay rights, the Human Rights Campaign is looking on the bright side. The group released a report on the one-year anniversary of the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, showing more progress than regression in the United States in the past year, Among its findings:

* Fourteen state legislatures turned away constitutional marriage bans in 2004. Six state legislatures have failed to pass proposed bans in 2005.

* Oregon governor Ted Kulongoski backed a civil unions bill in his state.

* The California assembly judiciary committee passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, which is now headed into the full assembly.

* Maryland lawmakers passed a domestic-partner registry for medical decision-making (which the governor then vetoed).

* Maine and Illinois enacted laws protecting GLBT workers from discrimination: a similar bill in Colorado awaits the governor's signature. Hawaii is considering a bill to add gender identity protections to its employment law.

* Connecticut enacted civil unions.