Members of the Wedding: The Psychological Impact of the Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage in Massachusetts

On May 17, 2004, same-sex marriage was legalized in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. This event had a profound impact not only on the legal status of same-sex couples but also on our emotional and psychic lives. With the option to marry legally comes a set of internal conflicts about belonging and rejection that many of us began to encounter more directly in our families and communities. This essay is one couple's reflection on how the marriage decision in Massachusetts brought more closely into view the challenging and profound intersection of the law, social status, and our individual psychic realities.