The first gay couples are getting married in Massachusetts. Specifically, they began getting their licenses yesterday, and given the three day wait they can be expected to have ceremonies starting Thursday.
When Erica and I got our license, it was a relatively mundane affair: wait in line behind a guy getting a fishing license, pay the clerk, fill out a form, yadda yadda. The real fireworks were at the wedding. Not so for Aaron and Brian, two young men who got their license in Cambridge yesterday. (Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for the link.) They were simply mobbed as they mounted the steps of city hall and had to wait in line for hours overnight with 260 other couples. I'm sure it was worth it. I'm sure no one in that line was there for a fishing license.
It is high time gay people have the right to get married, even if it is only in one state. If marriage in this country means anything, it means the right to marry the one you love, the most joyous experience possible and one that should be denied no one. May the example of Massachusetts show the country they have nothing to fear and much to gain from same-sex marriage.