Escorted by Boston mayor Thomas Menino, Dartmouth alumna Hillary Goodridge '78, a leading plaintiff in the case that ushered in the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, married her partner before media fanfare this week at Boston City Hall.
"There were more cameras there then I've ever seen in my life," Goodridge said.
Massachusetts became the nation's first state to marry gay and lesbian couples May 17, a date the state's supreme court set last November.
Many protestors and supporters were on hand at Boston City Hall to witness events on the monumental day that saw over 1,000 same-sex couples apply for marriage licenses.
Goodridge said, however, that she did not have a good look at the protestors because they were clustered off to the side.
"Frankly, they were not my focus," Goodridge said, adding that the majority of protestors were from a church in Kansas -- not Massachusetts residents.
Goodridge also said she thought fewer Massachusetts residents turned out to protest because they have become increasingly sympathetic toward of the movement supporting same-sex marriage rights.
"I think Massachusetts has been at the forefront of the U.S. on the same-sex marriage issue because we've had this public discussion and conversation since the November decision to allow same-sex marriage starting in May," she said.
Indeed, a May Gallup Poll shows opposition to gay marriage has diminished since the Massachusetts court decision on Goodridge's case. The nationwide poll found 42 percent in favor of gay marriage -- up from 31 percent in mid-December.
The poll also shows that 55 percent oppose same-sex marriage -- down from 65 percent in December.
A Long Road to Marriage
The Goodridges were Julie Wendich and Hillary Smith when they met in 1985.
As their relationship progressed, legal obstacles materialized that made the couple realize they needed to be married, Julie Goodridge said.
For example, after Julie gave birth to her daughter Annie, Hillary was barred from seeing them in the hospital because she was not legally attached to either.
When Julie, who runs an investment company, and Hillary, a fund-raiser for the Unitarian Universalist church, learned that an organization called Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders was contemplating a lawsuit seeking to legalize gay marriage, they asked to take part. GLAD attorney Mary Bonauto invited them to be lead plaintiffs in the case.
"It's still shocking to me. To have our name attached to this incredible case is unbelievable -- I'm really proud of it," Goodridge said.
There was little initial fanfare when the lawsuit was filed in Suffolk Superior Court in April 2001.
"It was barely mentioned in any papers," Goodridge said. "I thought it would become a quiet case that might win and then we'd move on with our lives."
But the case was thrown out, appealed and taken up by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Then, last November, four of the seven justices ruled in the couple's favor.
"We declare that barring an individual from the protections, benefits and obligations of civil marriage solely because that person would marry a person of the same sex violates the Massachusetts Constitution," Chief Justice Margaret Marshall wrote for the majority.
Gay activists are expected to use the new marriage laws to challenge laws in other states that ban same-sex marriages. Opponents of gay marriage say they will use the Massachusetts case to step up efforts to pass an amendment to the U. S. Constitution that defines marriage as a union between male and female partners.
"You don't get anywhere without a backlash," Goodridge said. "It's infuriating and frustrating at times, but it's also part of the process of change."
Goodridge said her time at Dartmouth influenced her decision to get involved in the Massachusetts same-sex marriage case.
Goodridge enrolled at the College in 1974, a time when many at the school were virulently opposed to coeducation because they felt it would destroy Dartmouth's identity, she said.
"Those echoes came back to me when people said same-sex marriage would ruin the institution of marriage," Goodridge said.
Following her freshman year, Goodridge said that she left the College for almost two years because she felt uncomfortable living amid a reactionary movement against coeducation.
Still, Goodridge summed up her time at Dartmouth as a positive experience.
"I had some great times at Dartmouth," Goodridge said. "I loved living there. It was so beautiful and I had some great teachers."
