Boston was the host city of the 2004 Democratic National Convention . The city also found itself at the center of national attention in early 2004 during the controversy over same-sex marriages . After the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that such marriages can not be banned under the state 's constitution , opponents and supporters of such marriages converged on the Massachusetts State House as the state legislature voted on a state constitutional amendment that would define marriage as only between a man and a woman . Much attention was focused on the city and the rest of Massachusetts when marriage licenses for same-sex couples were issued
2004 Democratic National Convention
2004 Democratic National Convention
History of Boston