Their case, Goodridge v. Department of Public Health (named for one of the six other co-plaintiff couples) was monumental. "No state in the nation had done this before," says Mary Bonauto, the GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) attorney behind Goodridge. But the Nov. 18, 2003, decision of the state's Supreme Judicial Court sparked new challenges. Within hours, Governor Mitt Romney called for changes to the state constitution to bar the ruling. President George W. Bush said he was "troubled" by it, and court efforts against Goodridge settled just three days before May 17. It wasn't until 2015, through the Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges, that same-sex marriage became legal across the U.S.
Many advocates now fear that precedent could be in danger, with Justice Clarence Thomas referencing the possibility of overturning it in his Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization concurring opinion. "Not for a second," says Bonauto, who also argued Obergefell, "do I think we should be complacent."
These are the stories of couples who married thanks to Goodridge. Find more on time.com.
Gina (left) and Heidi Nortonsmith, both 59, were plaintiffs in Goodridge. They met in 1990 at a National Lesbian and Gay Law Association gathering in Atlanta. They held their own commitment ceremony in 1993, before getting legally married on May 17, 2004. The main reason they joined the lawsuit was to protect their family.
Gina: We already had our oldest son, and had been working with our lawyer to draw legal papers to show that if something happened to Heidi, as the birth mom, I was the other parent. There was only so much that our lawyer could do for us because we couldn't get legally married. Heidi was pregnant with our second son when our lawyer said, "Hey, I know about this thing that GLAD is planning to do. Would you be interested in talking to them?"
This story is from the June 10, 2024 edition of Time.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 10, 2024 edition of Time.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The World According to Biden
Inside the President’s efforts to sustain the American century
Claudia Sheinbaum
A first for Mexico
The future is in Judge Merchan's hands
Now that a jury has found Donald Trump guilty of 34 felony charges, nearly everything about what happens next is up to Judge Juan Merchan.
Guilty on All Counts
A historic verdict for Donald Trump
As employers embrace Al, workers fret-and seek input
THE SWEDISH BUY-NOW-PAY-LATER COMPANY KLARNA has become something of a poster child for the potential benefits of generative artificial intelligence.
Afghan women defying the Taliban
WHEN KABUL FELL TO THE TALIBAN, RETURNING Afghanistan to the fundamentalist group's control, women who did not flee faced a reality in which they could no longer be who they are: journalists deleted evidence of their work, artists destroyed their creations, and graduates set fire to their degrees.
The way to a truly restful vacation
TRAVEL CAN DO WONDERS FOR YOUR well-being: expanding your mind, bonding you to loved ones, and connecting you with nature.
SHARING GRIEF AMID WAR
Spring and early summer are difficult times for both Israelis and Palestinians. Israeli Jews move from Passover, the holiday of freedom, to Holocaust Memorial Day, to Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror, to the triumphant celebrations of Independence Day. The days pass with rituals intended to give us a shared meaning as a society and to inculcate and frame Israel's official narrative.
WESTWARD HO, AGAIN
Kevin Costner's risky western epic, Horizon, celebrates the height of the genre without quite getting there itself
DO LESS. IT'S GOOD FOR YOU
Unproductive moments can boost health and happiness
