Massachusetts scraps archaic racist law – and the archaic Catholic Church is, of course, furious

IN 1913 a law was passed in Massachusetts to prevent interracial couples from other parts of the US marrying in the state.

At the time, 30 of 48 states had banned interracial marriage, and a number of states, including Massachusetts, then passed laws that would keep interracial couples from crossing borders to marry in their jurisdiction.

Relationships like this were once prohibited in many US states

Thankfully, the archaic marriage law – a reminder of America’s disgraceful racist past - fell into disuse.

But it was then discovered that the law could be invoked to prevent gay and lesbian couples from most other states from marrying in Massachusetts.

So the House of Representatives yesterday did the right thing and voted, by a huge majority, to scrap it.

The Catholic Church, of course, is outraged.

The Boston Globe reported:

The move has drawn condemnation from opponents of same-sex marriage, including Cardinal Sean P O’Malley of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and the state’s three other Catholic bishops.

O’Malley and the bishops want the 1913 law kept on the books for constitutional, religious, and cultural reasons. They said eliminating the law would infringe on the rights of other states to set their own marriage laws.

Scrapping of the law will clear the way for out-of-state couples to marry in Massachusetts, making it the second state to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry regardless of their place of residence.

Said Representative Byron Rushing, a Boston Democrat:

I’m glad we finally did it. [It was] a question of fairness and … a question of equality.

Relationships like this are still condemned by religious bigots of all stripes

Supporters of the repeal said the law was archaic and rooted in racism, and urged fellow lawmakers to strip it from the books in the interest of equality. Repeal opponents argued for keeping the law in deference to other states, to prevent legal tangles involving couples who would marry in Massachusetts and want rights in states where gay marriage is outlawed.

Same-sex marriage was first permitted Massachusetts in May 2004, following a 2003 decision by the state’s Supreme Judicial Court.

Said Marc Solomon, Executive Director of MassEquality:

This is a true victory for equality. In repealing this law we’ve sent the message loud and clear that in Massachusetts, we respect and honour all families. We’ve rid our state laws of the last vestige of discrimination against same-sex couples, and we once again lead the way for equality for all people.