There is absolutely no need for actions like that of the Massachusetts Supreme Court, except to impress the opinion of the elite on the populance. Gays can have everything they want, except respect in domestic partnerships. That is why in Scandanavia, where gay marriage is legal, there are so few.
So why the brouhaha, Because the real purpose is to silence all criticism of the gay "lifestyle." If gay unions are sanctioned by law, then that makes it legally risky to speak out against their behavior, and socially it makes everyone who does seem like a bigot. That's Teddy Kennedy's ploy. Let us not debate about the rightness of wrongness of homosexuality. I don't want to hear your arguments.
So we are engaged in a great social experiment, where the norms of Christian morality are dumped into the trash can. We will see how things work out down the roads, but mostly likely the negative results will be ignored, just like the consequences of fault free divorce.
Which explains all those people sued for criticising marriage, and the behavior of married people?