BOSTON (WHDH) – Couples came together Friday to mark 20 years since the first same-sex marriage licenses were issued in Massachusetts.
Mike Horgan and Ed Balmelli celebrated their 20-year wedding anniversary Friday. They tied the knot the day that same sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts back on May 17, 2004. They were one of seven gay couples who sued the state for the right to marry.
“It was night and day compared to what we have now. People just get married and everybody says, ‘Oh, you’re getting married,’ but back then it was, ‘Oh, it’s going to be a gay wedding,’” Balmelli said.
At the time, then Gov. Mitt Romney opposed the court’s decision legalizing gay marriage.
“Gay marriage was the civil rights movement at the time and we were able to achieve that,” Horgan said.
Two decades later, inside Arlington Street Church in Boston, which hosted some of the first legal same-sex weddings, the historic milestone was celebrated.
Former Gov. Deval Patrick, who has publicly shared his daughter is gay, headlined the event.
“Our youngest child KP — who was not a spouse, a parent, a psychologist or even out 20 years ago — who gave us the room not just to learn but to understand that love is love,” Patrick said.
And now Massachusetts is led by the country’s first openly lesbian governor.
“You will always be loved, welcome and celebrated here in Massachusetts,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a message to the couples.
This law gives gay couples the same protections and benefits as other married couples.
“It’s the best thing we’ve been able to do in our lives,” Horgan said.
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