BOSTON, May 5 (UPI) -- Massachusetts officials will decide whether couples seeking marriage licenses must provide proof of residency when the state begins to allow same-sex marriages.
The state anticipates a flood of people from across the country when Massachusetts begins to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples on May 17.
Gov. Mitt Romney had planned to enforce a 1913 law that bars out-of-state couples from marrying in Massachusetts if the marriage was not legal in their home state, such as inter-racial marriages were at the time in many states, the Boston Globe reported.
But Romney's General Counsel Daniel Winslow on Tuesday said town clerks can demand proof of residency from same-sex couple only if they also ask it of heterosexual couples, the Globe said. He said it was up to the clerks to decide whether any requirements had been met prior to issuing a license. A signed affidavit, including a statement of residency, would meet state requirements.
Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom told the newspaper: "The governor said his intention is to uphold the law that prohibits out-of-state gay couples from marrying here. ... There are two ways to provide proof of residency. One of by showing documentation; the other is by swearing an oath."
