Mary Bonauto '83 has once again filed lawsuits on behalf of same-sex couples, demanding that Massachusetts issue them marriage licenses, according to a New York Times article. Bonauto is challenging the constitutionality and discriminatory enforcement of denying marriage licenses to out-of-state couples. "The governor pulled [the law] off the shelves just to deny marriage to some gay and lesbian couples," said Bonauto.
During the past few years, Bonauto has filed several landmark cases. In Vermont, she and two other attorneys filed a lawsuit that led to the creation of the category of "civil unions." In Massachusetts, she filed a similar lawsuit on behalf of several same-sex couples, which led to a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision in favor of the same-sex couples. Bonauto is the civil rights director of Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD).
