CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — For weeks now, Margaret Drury has fielded a steady flow of inquiries from gay and lesbian couples wondering how to get marriage licenses on May 17, when Massachusetts is scheduled to become the first state where same-sex marriage is legal.
But the volume of calls to the Cambridge city clerk surged Tuesday as prospective brides and grooms reacted to the Legislature's approval Monday of a constitutional amendment that two years from now could take away their right to wed. The amendment would, however, allow civil unions for gay couples.
"Many people who have called today have expressed a sense of urgency -- as if they'd better do this fast, if they're going to do it at all," Drury said. "It's interesting, because, really, for the towns and city clerks in Massachusetts, nothing has changed between yesterday and today."
The sense of desperation stems from the fact that the state's most prominent gay-marriage foe, Gov. Mitt Romney, is seeking a stay of the Supreme Judicial Court decision that legalized such unions until the amendment makes its way through the legislative process and can be put to a popular vote.
Supporters of gay and lesbian marriage vow to block the amendment from becoming law.
In compliance with the court's ruling, clerks will begin issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples on May 17. Drury says that her staff has held meetings and that the state will soon issue updated forms to accommodate same-sex couples.
Drury briefly considered opening her office at 12:01 a.m. May 17 so that gay and lesbian couples could pick up licenses the minute they became legal. At least one town clerk in Vermont took that approach four years ago when that state legalized civil unions. But Drury worried about overtime costs, among other things.
In Massachusetts, the price of a marriage license varies from town to town. Some clerks have welcomed the expected flood of gay and lesbian couples as an occasion to raise their rates, earning a little extra for cash-strapped municipalities. On Cape Cod, for example, Provincetown has upped the license fee to $30 from $20.
"The town wanted to raise it even more, but everyone thought it was unfair," said Aaron Leventman, Provincetown's assistant town clerk.
Since the high court decision, Provincetown -- long a popular vacation destination for gay and lesbian couples -- has been marketing itself as "the gay Niagara Falls." Leventman said the Legislature's action would probably increase business. "There seems to be a sense among some people that they should strike while the iron is hot," he said.
