“The arc of the
moral compass is long, but it bends toward justice” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Nine years ago we
arrived at Rob and Dave’s home to film their getting ready for The Big Day.
This was more than just any big day, though, as Rob and Dave were one of the
seven plaintiff couples to win the right in Massachusetts for ALL couples to
marry.
We met Dave
Wilson and Rob Compton at a Gay Wedding Expo, co-sponsored by The Lenox Hotel
and Bloomingdales. Spirits were high that day as vendors and couples alike were
gearing up for the Supreme Judicial Court to rule on Equal Marriage in just a
few days. Attorney Mary Bonauto had brilliantly argued the case for the seven
couples, and as the ruling came down, with the decision written by Justice
Margaret Mitchell, we all got ready for a big celebration.
A few days later
we got a call from Rob and Dave, asking about our availability to film their
wedding the coming Monday – May 17, 2004, the first day couples of all sexual
orientation were able to marry in America.
We were proud
that Massachusetts led the way with its historic decision.
We are now proud
of all the 12 states that have realized that all people deserve the rights and
responsibilities of marriage – should that be their choice.
On the morning of
May 17, 2004, we arrived at the couple’s home around 7 am to chat and interview
parents, children, in laws, and grandchildren.
The couple was
being interviewed by one of the press, and Rob and Dave spoke emotionally and
eloquently about their joy in finally, after being partners for many years,
being able to marry.
From the couple’s
house, we traveled to City Hall, where Mayor Menino welcomed us all to a
private reception for the couple and family. Following the reception, we all
descended to The Clerk’s Office in the basement of City Hall, so that Rob and
Dave could sign their marriage license. There we were all greeted by a throng
of news media anxious to document this historic day.
From City Hall we
walked across the Plaza where the couple was greeted by thousands of
well-wishers, to the courthouse, where Rob and Dave requested a 3-day waiver so
they could be wed on the same day as they received their license. Waiver
granted, we all piled into our respective cars to arrive at The Arlington
Street Church, where members of the Gay Men’s Chorus sang as Rob and Dave
walked down the aisle together, hand in hand.
The Reverend Kim
Crawford Harvie officiated, reading the historic words from Justice Margaret
Mitchell’s decision that gave all couples the right to marry. After the couple
exchanged tear-filled vows, Reverend Harvie pronounced them “legally married in
the state of Massachusetts”.
I will always
remember the roar of excitement that accompanied those words as the couple
shared their first kiss as husband and husband before recessing down the aisle,
pausing for hugs and well-wishes from those in the church. It was especially
sweet to see Dave’s 90 year old dad, and Rob’s mom hugging the couple as they
recessed.
Here is a clip
from Rob and Dave’s wedding film:
In the following years,
there were efforts to overturn equal marriage, and I found myself following the
trajectory of the story in the Statehouse and among friends until Equal
Marriage was firmly established as the law in Massachusetts. As a result of the
access I had to the political events around the issue, I found myself compelled
to tell the story in a short film I made called “Legal at Last”.
Here then, is the
story:
