Gay Marriage Pioneers Split

last updated 8 January 2015

Boston

Julie and Hillary Goodridge, the lead plaintiffs in a landmark case that made same-sex marriage legal in Massachusetts, revealed last week that they have split up. The two women met in 1985 while attending Harvard, and in 2001, joined six other couples that sued the state for the right to marry. After the court ruled in their favor in 2004, the Goodridges became the first same-sex couple ever to be legally wed in the U.S. All couples “can face tough times,” said a family friend, “with many making it through those moments, but some not.” Since gay marriage was legalized in Massachusetts, about 7,300 same-sex couples in the state have obtained marriage licenses.