Eeeeeeeeee.

Cnn.com and The Boston Globe

And then, all the gay people went to Disneyland, because they won. And many conservative talk show hosts and others of that ilk were stunned by the news and incapable of coherent speech (not that this was a big change) and all fell down, unable to comprehend, and also shocked by the fact that the country was getting closer to bestiality every day, and then they couldn't be all hate-speechifying today. And then seven gay couples in Massachusetts got married and lived happily ever after. The end.

Seriously, though. It doesn't fix everything, it might not last, and so on. But at the same time: eeeee! There are four people on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court who see no problem with gay marriage in their state. Even if some gay folks don't want to be involved in the institution of marriage, they could get married now, if they wanted to. And I imagine that it is also a sign that folks might be more willing to accept things like badly-need anti-discrimination laws for housing, employment, and so on. I could be wrong, but I'll just sit here and hold on to my delusions.

Because, eeeee!

Stupid Associated Press.

I swear, I've had to tell maybe twenty people now that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision is not the same as the Vermont decision. Because the AP said it is. And didn't even quote a single actual lawyer or law group. So there are all these people telling me "no, really, it's just saying that gay marriage is not unconstitutional, it's not saying anyone has to do anything." And people saying "oh, it's just like the Vermont case, and it'll just end up being civil unions."

This is a different case. The MSJC said different things. And this looks like it might actually happen.

See m_shell's summary and favorite quotes from multiple articles.

The Christian Science Monitor article.

The interview with Renee Landers, President of the Boston Bar Association in the Washington Post.

The NYTimes.com article, which features this telling phrase: "But the court gave the Legislature six months to comply with its decision." Note the word comply. Just sayin'. (NYTimes.com requires free registration.)

The current AP wire article, which doesn't admit that their first article was wrong, and is still a little negative, but does actually quote some lawyers. And more-or-less supports what all the lawyers in other articles were saying. Except for the part about the way the Massachusetts Constitution can't be changed before 2006. Better than the first article, but still kinda missing a lot of stuff.

And, if you care, the official ruling, in .pdf format. I suggest not reading the dissenting opinions, as they may make you ill.

( Fun quotes from Marshall's majority opinion of the ruling, many of which have not been cited in news articles. Plus, ETA: Bush's reponse to this ruling. )