GAY TO WED

Bells began tolling for same-sex couples in Massachusetts one year ago this week. A year in numbers:

Date same-sex couples began legally marrying: May 17, 2004

Number of same-sex marriages performed in Massachusetts from May 17, 2004, until February 2005: 6,142

Number of male couples: 2,170

Number of female couples: 3,972

Number of heterosexual marriages in Massachusetts during that time: 30,872

Public support in Massachusetts for marriage equality in April 2005: 56%

Public support one year ago: 35%

Public support across the nation for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman: 53%

Number of states that have amended their constitutions to ban gay marriage since 2004: 14

Percentage of Massachusetts voters who believe gay marriage has had a positive or no impact on the quality of life in Massachusetts: 84%