Massachusetts Roundup - Things have been fairly quiet on the gay marriage front these days, but here is a short updater from the Washington Post. The main point is that Mass. will take advantage of a conflicts-of-law provision in its marriage code to deny out-of-state gay couples from wedding there once gay marriages begin on May 17th.

That's sure to be a disappointment to many, not least of all the catering and hospitality industry in Provincetown. But I wonder if this isn't a useful way to turn down some of the heat around this issue. Why not give native homos the chance to introduce their neighbors in the Commonwealth to this radical idea of gay marriage, before we start exporting trouble to 49 other jurisdictions?* I've always thought that the deliberate workings of federalism are key to achieving lasting acceptance of progressive law.

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* Or is it forty-eight? The WashBlade reports that DC mayor Williams has received a legal opinion from the city’s corporation counsel on whether D.C. law permits the city to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, but the opinion hasn't been made public yet. If the answer is yes, then arguably DC residents might be allowed to marry in MA.