[Diocese of Massachusetts] The Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, released the following statement today:

“I know that I rejoice with many Episcopalians of our diocese in eastern Massachusetts and across the Episcopal Church because of the Supreme Court’s decision today that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional.  We here in Massachusetts, the first state to allow same-sex marriage, have long experienced the contributions that gay and lesbian married couples and their families make to our society and to our church, and so the day that makes it possible for all married couples to be eligible for federal benefits, with equal status and without stigma, is a day for which to be grateful.  With the court’s disappointing decision yesterday to invalidate part of the Voting Rights Act, which seems a real setback for civil rights, it is also a day to recommit ourselves to the struggle for full equality for all God’s people.”