A 1913 Massachusetts law declares state weddings invalid if they would not be recognized in the couples' home state. This was a turn-of-the-century way to avoid getting tangled up in state-to-state battles over interracial marriages. Since 1913:miscegenation :: 2004:gay marriage, this law has now been brought to bear on out-of-state gay couples marrying in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts is the only state that allows gay marriage, so gay couples are required to certify on the marriage license, under penalty of perjury, that they either live in the state or are planning to move to the state within one year. Some counties are enforcing this rigorously. Others - Provincetown and Somerville among them - are not. Apparently, this is upsetting the Governor.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. On the one hand it is basically the last straw left for gay marriage opponents who want to avoid the spectacle of Massachusetts becoming the nation's gay-marriage haven. On the other hand, the direct comparison to anti-interracial marriage bigots of 100 years ago must be a little hard to take.
Democrats in the state legislature are attempting to repeal the 1913 law - they are expected to succeed, and Romney is expected to veto.
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