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  Mass. Aims To Open Gay Marriage Floodgates
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ContributorRP 
Last EditedRP  Jul 15, 2008 03:29pm
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CategoryProposed Legislation
MediaTV News - Columbia Broadcasting System CBS News
News DateTuesday, July 15, 2008 09:00:00 PM UTC0:0
DescriptionGay couples from across America are one step closer to a Massachusetts wedding.

The Massachusetts Senate voted Tuesday to repeal a 1913 law used to bar out-of-state gay couples from marrying here. The law prohibits couples from obtaining marriage licenses if they could not legally wed in their home states.

After Massachusetts became the first state to allow gay marriages in 2004, then-Gov. Mitt Romney ordered town clerks to enforce the little-known law and deny licenses to out of state couples.

Critics, including Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, the state's first black governor, said the 95-year-old statute carries a racist taint and needs to be repealed.

The law dates to a time when the majority of states still outlawed interracial marriages. Opponents said the law was designed to smooth relations with those states. Massachusetts has allowed interracial marriages since 1843.
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