Judge Says Gay Rhode Island Couple Can Marry In Mass.
Hmm…
BOSTON - A gay couple from Rhode Island has the right to marry in Massachusetts because laws in their home state do not expressly prohibit same-sex marriage, a judge ruled Friday.
Wendy Becker and Mary Norton of Providence argued that a 1913 law that forbids out-of-state residents from marrying in Massachusetts if their marriage would not be permitted in their home state did not apply to them because Rhode Island does not specifically ban gay marriage.
Superior Court Judge Thomas Connolly agreed.
“No evidence was introduced before this court of a constitutional amendment, statute, or controlling appellate decision from Rhode Island that explicitly deems void or otherwise expressly forbids same-sex marriage,” he ruled.
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, which represented the couples, hailed the decision “as another step toward marriage equality.” Becker and Norton said they were “thrilled.”
The bolded section is interesting. Seems to me that if there is nothing in Rhode Island law that “expressly forbids same-sex marriage” then why couldn’t this couple get married in Rhode Island instead of Mass.?
