01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, June 3, 2006

In Rhode Island last month, disappointed activists saw a gay-marriage bill die quietly in the House Judiciary Committee. Yet just as quietly, and barely 15 miles away, two men recently wed, with the legal blessing of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. One of them happened to be Kevin Dumas, the mayor of Attleboro.

Mr. Dumas's marriage, to John McFeeley, occurred in late February, but became public knowledge just a few weeks ago. Mr. Dumas told The Sun-Chronicle, based in Attleboro, that he hoped to keep his private life private, and not use his office as a platform for promoting gay rights.

Still, whatever his wishes, he is bound to become a poster child for the cause of same-sex marriage. The young mayor has probably made history. He is Attleboro's first openly gay mayor, and now, quite possibly, the nation's first mayor legally married to someone of the same sex.

Some 7,000 gay couples have married in Massachusetts since May 2004, when, thanks to a ruling by the state's Supreme Judicial Court, the Bay State became the first to sanction same-sex marriage. Yet the matter is not entirely settled: Massachusetts citizens are attempting to overturn the ruling through a referendum. If they succeed, it is unclear what will happen to Mayor Dumas's marital status.

Time, however, may be on his side. Despite various state drives to ban same-sex marriage during the 2004 elections, it appears that the idea of such unions is gaining acceptance. Society is better off when any two adults can make a commitment to care for each other. And more and more Americans believe that sexual orientation should not bar anyone from enjoying the rights accorded by marriage.

In that spirit, we extend best wishes to Attleboro's most prominent newlyweds -- and to all who may be exchanging vows in a new bridal season, regardless of sex.