Healey rejoices in Supreme Court decision on marriage rights

An emotional Maura Healey on Friday rejoiced in the US Supreme Court granting nationwide marriage rights to same-sex couples, a ruling that the openly gay attorney general said affected her both personally and professionally.

“So many people have fought so long and so hard to make this happen,” Healey said at a news conference. She cited the work done by colleagues who pushed Massachusetts to be the first state to marry gay couples, then continued the effort on a national level.

“Families will be treated like families, no matter where they live, no matter where they go, and no matter who they love,” Healey continued. “To many, it may seem like marriage equality was won overnight — that it happened very quickly — but we know that is not the case.”

Healey also thanked the couples who shared their stories and made the cases for the rights of their families — along with many others like them. Also at Healey’s news conference was Julie Goodridge and her daughter Annie.

Goodridge was at the center of the Massachusetts case that led to the state’s Supreme Judicial Court granting same-sex marriage rights for the first time anywhere in the US, a ruling listed in the law books as Goodridge vs. the Department of Public Health.

Speaking to the Globe earlier in the day, Healey talked about that case and many other federal efforts that led to the Supreme Court ruling. While savoring the victory, Healey said many frontiers remain.

“We have issues still with how LGBT youth are treated. We want to make sure they are safe in the schools and not bullied,” Healey told the Globe. “On transgender rights, we have work to do.” “But,” Healey continued, this is a day really to celebrate.”

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