Civil Union Is Not Equality, Boston, Massachusetts, February 11, 2004

In February, of 2004 many supporters of same sex marriage protested outside the Massachusetts Statehouse demonstrating against ammending the Commonwealth's constitution to overturn the Goodridge v. Department of Health decison of 2003. That Supreme Judicial Court case legalized same sex marriage in Massachusetts. Most gays and lesbians were upset with the proposal to ban gay marriages and substitute civil unions for same sex couples. While civil unions would have provided most of the rights, privileges and responsibilities of marriage within the state of Massachusetts, it would not protect couples who left the state.