My partner and I applied for a marriage license in Massachusetts Friday, though we weren’t sure we’d be able to do so. We explained to the very nice clerk in the Gloucester City Hall that we did not yet have a home in the state, but my partner will be starting work there on Monday. She will stay with relatives during the week and drive back to New York on the weekends. Our son and I will remain in New York until we sell our current home, at which point we’ll buy one in Massachusetts. Given the slow housing market, however, this could take several months.
We’d be fine not marrying until we bought a home, except that my partner’s new employer stopped offering domestic partner benefits once same-sex marriage became legal. If we couldn’t marry until we owned or rented a home in the state, therefore, I could be deprived of medical insurance for some time.
The clerk in Gloucester said that since we clearly intended to reside in Massachusetts, we could apply for a license right then. We did, and handed over $24. (We may frame the receipt.) Now we wait three days to get the actual license, and have 60 days in which to have a ceremony, anywhere in the state.
The folks at City Hall looked a little panicked when we asked exactly when we could pick up our license. Not because of us, but because the upcoming election has all the City employees in a tizzy. We assured them we wouldn’t stand in the way of democracy, and would not bother them till after Tuesday.
We’re still planning the details of time and place. After thirteen years together, the whole thing seems pretty administrative. Gloucester is one possibility. The City staff was helpful with our license, and the town itself is full of New England fishing charm. (It was also the site of the movie The Perfect Storm, which we hope isn’t significant, though we did joke about getting married in yellow fishing slickers.)
If you’re thinking about getting married in Massachusetts, you may find this guide from Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) useful, particularly if you’re moving to the state from elsewhere and want to marry while you’re still in transition. Some clerks may require documentary proof of your intent to reside there. Others, like the one we spoke with, may be fine with a signed statement. It’s also wise to consult an attorney to see if you need to update wills or other legal documents (which you have already, right?) to accomodate your new marital status. GLAD operates a Lawyer Referral Service to assist you.
Stay tuned for our next episode, in which we attempt to pick a location, find a justice of the peace, and keep our families from driving us crazy.
Congrats! My wife and I got married here in Boston this past summer – it was an amazing experience. We’re lucky, we already had health insurance rights as domestic partners… (of course, I still need to pay the “gay tax” on my wofe’s insurance since we’re not federally recognized.)
I am proud and grateful to be a Mass. resident. Welcome to our fabulous state. :)
us, that’s “wife” not “wofe.” My typing remains unchanged by marriage. ;)
That is so wonderful. A huge huge WELCOME AND CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Congratulations! My partner & I were married in 2004 in the Great Hall at Hammond Castle in Gloucester. It’s a picture perfect place to hold a ceremony.
Good luck & welcome!
My family lives in nearby Rockport – another beautiful seaside town. Have fun exploring the area and getting acclimated to MA!
Welcome!
Thanks to all of you for your good wishes! I hope we have the chance to meet each other once my family and I are settled up there. (Could be a few months. The dismal housing market means home sales are slow, and we don’t want to buy before we sell.)
Yippee! My wife and I got married in March for the same reason. We’d planned a wedding with her family’s pastor in Maine in July, thinking that we’d be in Pennsylvania for a long time to come, but surprise new job! (We did the July wedding too – so we’re married both in the eyes of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and in the eyes of the United Church of Christ.) The folks at the town hall in Wellesley were positively giddy when we came in – the town clerk literally LEAPT from her chair to come help us, waving her hand saying, “I’m the one who does marriage licenses!”
Welcome to Massachusetts, my friends. Welcome with open arms.