Countdown to Equality

Just as activist judges legally ended segregation in Brown v. Board of Education, so to have activist judges begun ending the exculsion of gays from the rights of marriage. Long live these so called 'activist judges' who counter the tyranny of the majority!

But the increasing number of state laws against gay marriage complicates any quest for universal marriage rights. The timetable might resemble the push for interracial marriage rights, which were first recognized by California in 1948. The US Supreme Court didn't act until 1967.

As of Monday, Massachusetts joins the Netherlands, Belgium and Canada's three most populous provinces as the only places worldwide where gays can marry, though the rest of Canada is expected to follow soon.

Across the state on Sunday, gay-rights advocates held "Countdown to Equality" parties to celebrate the impending nuptials and to keep attention focused on the political fights ahead.

"I have a younger crowd of friends and I wanted to create some awareness," said Josiah Richards, who was hosting a barbecue for about 35 people in Boston's West Roxbury neighborhood on Sunday.

Several churches held ceremonies honoring gay parishioners and recognizing the fight they've waged for marriage rights.

In Provincetown, visitors were greeted with a sign that read "Congratulations, newlyweds!"

"It's the next evolution in the history of marriage," said John Yarbrough of Minnesota, who traveled to Provincetown to marry his partner, Cody Rogahn. "The idea of who you love shouldn't be dictated by the government."

~Excerpts from Associated Press and Christian Science Monitor.