* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Friday, June 6, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    9 things to do this weekend in Lake County plus a look ahead – Leesburg Daily Commercial

    Discover 9 Exciting Weekend Adventures in Lake County and What’s Coming Up!

    Shows to Watch – The Advocate

    Must-See Shows You Can’t Miss!

    Fox News Entertainment Newsletter: Celebrities mentioned during Diddy’s high-profile sex trafficking trial – Fox News

    Fox News Entertainment Newsletter: Celebrities mentioned during Diddy’s high-profile sex trafficking trial – Fox News

    ‘Sinners,’ starring Michael B. Jordan, is now streaming on Prime Video – About Amazon

    Experience the Thrills of ‘Sinners’ Starring Michael B. Jordan – Now Streaming on Prime Video!

    California Mid-State Fair announces entertainment lineups for Frontier and Mission stages – KSBY News

    Exciting Entertainment Lineup Unveiled for California Mid-State Fair’s Frontier and Mission Stages!

    Spotify & OpenAI: Will Gen AI ‘Hollow Out’ Entertainment? – Technology Magazine

    Will Generative AI Transform the Future of Entertainment

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Property Technology Magazine Unveils “PropTech Top 50 Index” and the “2025 PropTech Trends Report – The Great Rebuild.” – Business Wire

    Property Technology Magazine Unveils “PropTech Top 50 Index” and the “2025 PropTech Trends Report – The Great Rebuild.” – Business Wire

    Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says – MarketBeat

    UBS Analyst Predicts Surge in Micron Technology Stock Price!

    Domo to Participate in the D.A. Davidson Technology Summit – Business Wire

    Domo Set to Shine at the D.A. Davidson Technology Summit!

    When fiction becomes fact: 3 pieces of modern technology inspired by Star Trek – Redshirts Always Die

    From Screen to Reality: 3 Modern Technologies Inspired by Star Trek

    The Isfahan Center for Nuclear Technology – UCF, ZPP, and IRR10 – Alma Research and Education Center

    Exploring the Isfahan Center for Nuclear Technology: Innovations and Insights from UCF, ZPP, and IRR10

    Inside the tedious effort to tally AI’s energy appetite – MIT Technology Review

    Inside the tedious effort to tally AI’s energy appetite – MIT Technology Review

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    9 things to do this weekend in Lake County plus a look ahead – Leesburg Daily Commercial

    Discover 9 Exciting Weekend Adventures in Lake County and What’s Coming Up!

    Shows to Watch – The Advocate

    Must-See Shows You Can’t Miss!

    Fox News Entertainment Newsletter: Celebrities mentioned during Diddy’s high-profile sex trafficking trial – Fox News

    Fox News Entertainment Newsletter: Celebrities mentioned during Diddy’s high-profile sex trafficking trial – Fox News

    ‘Sinners,’ starring Michael B. Jordan, is now streaming on Prime Video – About Amazon

    Experience the Thrills of ‘Sinners’ Starring Michael B. Jordan – Now Streaming on Prime Video!

    California Mid-State Fair announces entertainment lineups for Frontier and Mission stages – KSBY News

    Exciting Entertainment Lineup Unveiled for California Mid-State Fair’s Frontier and Mission Stages!

    Spotify & OpenAI: Will Gen AI ‘Hollow Out’ Entertainment? – Technology Magazine

    Will Generative AI Transform the Future of Entertainment

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Property Technology Magazine Unveils “PropTech Top 50 Index” and the “2025 PropTech Trends Report – The Great Rebuild.” – Business Wire

    Property Technology Magazine Unveils “PropTech Top 50 Index” and the “2025 PropTech Trends Report – The Great Rebuild.” – Business Wire

    Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says – MarketBeat

    UBS Analyst Predicts Surge in Micron Technology Stock Price!

    Domo to Participate in the D.A. Davidson Technology Summit – Business Wire

    Domo Set to Shine at the D.A. Davidson Technology Summit!

    When fiction becomes fact: 3 pieces of modern technology inspired by Star Trek – Redshirts Always Die

    From Screen to Reality: 3 Modern Technologies Inspired by Star Trek

    The Isfahan Center for Nuclear Technology – UCF, ZPP, and IRR10 – Alma Research and Education Center

    Exploring the Isfahan Center for Nuclear Technology: Innovations and Insights from UCF, ZPP, and IRR10

    Inside the tedious effort to tally AI’s energy appetite – MIT Technology Review

    Inside the tedious effort to tally AI’s energy appetite – MIT Technology Review

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

Their weddings made history. Twenty years later, their love endures.

May 17, 2024
in Science
Their weddings made history. Twenty years later, their love endures.
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Heidi and Gina Nortonsmith tied the knot 20 years ago this Friday in a Northampton, Massachusetts, park with their sons and close friends. They combined their individual surnames, Norton and Smith, which they engraved on silver bracelets for each family member.

Before they wed, Heidi and Gina were starting a family and looking for legal protections to raise their children. But they quickly found there weren’t many for same-sex couples. In the case of an emergency, only one parent, Heidi, who had carried the children, would be recognized. 

Why We Wrote This

A story focused on

Friday marks the 20th anniversary of the first same-sex marriages in the United States. Two Massachusetts couples reflect on how they felt at the time – and on what marriage equality has meant to them since.

“The law would consider Gina and our kids to be legal strangers. That was just really terrifying,” Heidi says.

That’s when the mothers joined six other couples suing the state in 2001 for the right to marry. The plaintiffs would eventually prevail, making Massachusetts the first state to allow same-sex marriage, with the first licenses granted May 17, 2004. The U.S. Supreme Court would later rule that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right in 2015.

“It’s important to mark the 20th anniversary and to celebrate it,” Gina says, “because it helps bring hope for the other work that is yet to be done.”

When Heidi and Gina Nortonsmith fought the state of Massachusetts for their right to marry in the early 2000s, they fought as a family. 

As plaintiffs in what would become a historic case, the two mothers waited at home every morning for months, anticipating news of a decision. A bag packed with clothes for their two sons, Avery and Quinn, stood ready if a drive from Northampton to Boston for a press conference would be necessary.

The parents were one of seven same-sex couples suing the state in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, a case that had been making its way through the Massachusetts court system since 2001. A Superior Court judge had ruled against the group in 2002. On a November morning in 2003, the long-awaited phone call about an appeal arrived.

Why We Wrote This

A story focused on

Friday marks the 20th anniversary of the first same-sex marriages in the United States. Two Massachusetts couples reflect on how they felt at the time – and on what marriage equality has meant to them since.

“It was a frantic couple of hours just trying to wrap our brains around what we needed to do to drive to Boston for a week with two young boys,” Gina recalls over Zoom. “We still didn’t know what the decision was. We just knew it was coming that day.”

The family was still on the road when the decision came down around 10 a.m. From a local radio station, they learned that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court had ruled in their favor – making the state the first in the United States to allow same-sex marriage. Heidi and Gina planned to wed the first day it would be allowed, May 17, 2004.  

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff/File

Gina (left) and Heidi Nortonsmith, and their son Avery, react to applause from the crowd outside City Hall after getting their marriage certificate in Northampton, Massachusetts, May 17, 2004. They got Probate and Family Court to waive the normal three-day wait for a marriage ceremony.

Massachusetts couples like Heidi and Gina, who are celebrating their 20th anniversaries this month, say the court’s decision ignited the nationwide fight to legalize same-sex marriage. Eventually, the U.S. Supreme Court would agree, declaring state bans unconstitutional in 2015. But it was the Bay State that first afforded legal protections to spouses and families. Along with long-fought-for nuptials, couples also got a sense of stability.

“It created a kind of security and safety for people that we didn’t used to have,” says Mary Ann Kowalski, who wed her partner, Aren Stone, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the first wave of marriages.

“Being fully yourself in life”

After getting a marriage license from Northampton City Hall, Heidi and Gina tied the knot 20 years ago this Friday in a nearby park with their sons and close friends. They combined their individual surnames, Norton and Smith, which they engraved on silver bracelets for each member of the family, along with the date.

“When our sons were born, we chose the name Nortonsmith for them. So we tell them that they came out as Nortonsmith, but we had to earn it,” Gina says.

Before they were legally able to wed, Heidi and Gina had started a family and were looking for legal protections to raise their children. But they quickly found there weren’t many for same-sex couples. In the case of an emergency, only one parent, Heidi, who had carried the children, would be recognized. 

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff/File

Gina (far left) and Heidi Nortonsmith read to their sons, Avery (second from left) and Quinn, in their living room May 17, 2004, in Northampton, Massachusetts.

“The law would consider Gina and our kids to be legal strangers. That was just really terrifying,” Heidi says. That’s when the couple joined the Goodridge case in 2001 to change the law. 

Marriage equality extended various legal protections to same-sex parents, such as the right to make medical decisions for their children, and access to family leave benefits and inheritance rights.

The decision to issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples in 2004 was historic for both spouses and families. A 2004 Boston Globe survey found that half of the couples who applied for licenses on the first day had been partners for at least a decade. Of those, 30% had children. Two-thirds of the applicants were women. 

“You can’t overstate the importance of being fully yourself in your life,” Heidi says. “Once Gina and I were married, and we could say wife or spouse, people knew what that was. Everybody had the same frame of reference for what that relationship is and how you treat it.”

“We worked really hard for it,” Gina adds, referring to the right to marry. “There are still people who are unhappy about it and who are doing their darndest to get rid of it.” 

Hope for the future

In 2004, the atmosphere surrounding marriage equality in Massachusetts was a mix of excitement, controversy, and significant social change. For many, the legalization of same-sex marriages was an emotional moment and a rallying call for national awareness. 

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

Spouses Mary Ann Kowalski (left) and Aren Stone, who live in Cambridge, Massachusetts, were among the first same-sex couples to marry in May 2004, after the Bay State legalized same-sex marriage.

Ms. Stone, Ms. Kowalski’s wife, who sat on the Cambridge LGBTQ+ Commission for 10 years, says that with marriage equality, she could feel a little more comfortable and protected. But she says the debate in the state Legislature, which turned “ugly” at times, also educated the public about the ongoing struggles for same-sex couples.

“It just became so clear during all those legislative hearings how important it was. That if we lost, it would be a huge loss because we were not being seen as fully human,” Ms. Stone says, describing the debate that went on as the logistics of the law were hashed out.

“I think straight couples could see and understand what it’s like for gay people sometimes when they’re not accepted,” she adds. 

Today, the first couples to wed 20 years ago are rooting for the next generation of LGBTQ+ young people, who can wed as they choose, but are fighting battles for different rights and protections. They also see some growth in cultural acceptance.

“Now people just talk about their husbands and wives just casually in movies,” Gina notes. “That’s a huge difference. It’s like it’s not even anything to remark upon. It’s just emblematic of how ingrained it is in society and how people understand that that’s an option everywhere.”

She observes that the things that felt impossible two decades ago, are now possible. 

“It’s important to mark the 20th anniversary and to celebrate it,” she says, “because it helps bring hope for the other work that is yet to be done.”

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : The Christian Science Monitor – https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2024/0516/same-sex-marriage-20-year-anniversary-boston-massachusetts?icid=rss

Tags: scienceTheirWeddings
Previous Post

As Democrats pull back on Israel, one unlikely senator is doubling down

Next Post

Jays big bats starting to normalize, but they need more from Biggio

Ecological Restoration Service Market to Reach USD 87.9 Bn by 2031, Growing at 9.4% CAGR – openPR.com

Ecological Restoration Service Market Set to Soar to $87.9 Billion by 2031 with a Robust 9.4% Growth Rate!

June 6, 2025
Boise State moves forward with plans for new science building, signaling an investment in STEM majors – The Arbiter | Boise State

Boise State Unveils Ambitious Plans for Cutting-Edge Science Building, Boosting STEM Education!

June 6, 2025
The Science Of De-Extinction Is Providing Hope For Nature’s Future – Forbes

Reviving the Past: How De-Extinction Science Offers New Hope for Our Planet’s Future

June 6, 2025
Cardi B Slams Offset For Allegedly Not Helping With Kids’ Six-Figure Lifestyle – HOT 97

Cardi B Calls Out Offset for Failing to Support Their Kids’ Luxurious Lifestyle!

June 6, 2025
Hollywood legend Tom Cruise becomes record holder for his fiery Mission Impossible stunt – Guinness World Records

Tom Cruise Sets the Bar High with Record-Breaking Fiery Stunt in Mission Impossible!

June 6, 2025
India could become third largest economy in the world this year: Borge Brende – MSN

India Poised to Become the World’s Third Largest Economy This Year!

June 6, 2025
9 things to do this weekend in Lake County plus a look ahead – Leesburg Daily Commercial

Discover 9 Exciting Weekend Adventures in Lake County and What’s Coming Up!

June 6, 2025
Property Technology Magazine Unveils “PropTech Top 50 Index” and the “2025 PropTech Trends Report – The Great Rebuild.” – Business Wire

Property Technology Magazine Unveils “PropTech Top 50 Index” and the “2025 PropTech Trends Report – The Great Rebuild.” – Business Wire

June 6, 2025
Graphics: China’s ecological, environmental quality keeps improving steadily – news.cgtn.com

Graphics: China’s ecological, environmental quality keeps improving steadily – news.cgtn.com

June 5, 2025
The Forgotten History (and Slippery Science) of Canola Oil – Eater

The Forgotten History (and Slippery Science) of Canola Oil – Eater

June 5, 2025

Categories

Archives

June 2025
MTWTFSS
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30 
« May    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (670)
  • Economy (684)
  • Entertainment (21,590)
  • General (15,267)
  • Health (9,725)
  • Lifestyle (687)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (685)
  • Politics (691)
  • Science (15,902)
  • Sports (21,187)
  • Technology (15,669)
  • World (669)

Recent News

Ecological Restoration Service Market to Reach USD 87.9 Bn by 2031, Growing at 9.4% CAGR – openPR.com

Ecological Restoration Service Market Set to Soar to $87.9 Billion by 2031 with a Robust 9.4% Growth Rate!

June 6, 2025
Boise State moves forward with plans for new science building, signaling an investment in STEM majors – The Arbiter | Boise State

Boise State Unveils Ambitious Plans for Cutting-Edge Science Building, Boosting STEM Education!

June 6, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version