The Massachusetts House just voted to repeal the 1913 law that prevented most out-of-state same-sex couples from marrying in the Bay State. The bill now goes to Governor Deval Patrick, who has said he will sign it.
Massachusetts was, of course, the first state to legalize marriage for same-sex couples, although California was the first to open it to out-of-staters. Same-sex couples who marry in California still face the invalidation of their marriages if Prop. 8 passes in November, however. (It’s unclear if couples already married would be “grandfathered” and allowed to remain so.) No one can touch the Massachusetts marriage law until at least 2012, and that seems increasingly unlikely to me.
There’s no official word yet on when the repeal will go into effect. It does present same-sex couples with some difficult questions if they are considering marriage, though: Ceremony in Provincetown or the Castro, Cape Cod Bay or Half Moon Bay? Honeymoon in the Berkshires or the Sierras? Clambake or avocado salad at the reception?
I say if the clambake doesn’t inspire you, our fall foliage certainly will. (Of course, I’m married to a California native so I have to be careful what I say here. I admit the Sierras have a certain grandeur.) Other California or Massachusetts residents: Give us a pitch for your state (serious or silly) in the comments.