BOSTON , Massachusetts ( CNN ) -- Four years ago Massachusetts became the first state to allow same-sex couples to marry . Since then , more than 10,000 gay and lesbian couples have exchanged vows in the state . David Wilson and Rob Compton , of Massachusetts , were among first same-sex couples to marry in 2004 . David Wilson and Rob Compton were among the first to say , `` I do . '' The impact , they say , has been huge . Wilson says it was the switch from partner to husband that made a difference . `` Just using the word husband brings a level of confidence that helps say to the person we 're talking with we have a right to be together , we are a couple and we love each other , '' Wilson says . Wilson and Compton chose to keep their own surnames , but they say the need to define or justify their relationship is gone -- everyone understands what being married means . Initially , there was a rush to the altar in Massachusetts . In the six months after May 17 , 2004 , when Massachusetts began issuing marriage licenses for gay and lesbian couples , an estimated 6,100 same-sex couples married . They now average less than 1,000 a year , according to MassEquality.org , a grassroots organization working to help gay and lesbian couples achieve equality . Watch : David and Rob talk about what has changed » . Having the same rights as heterosexual couples means the same issues -- like divorce . So far , at least 48 same-sex divorces have been reported . Same-sex divorces are hard to track because they are recorded by the last names of the parties involved , without reference to gender , according to Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders , a leading gay rights organization . There have been several attempts to stop same-sex marriage in Massachusetts since the state made it legal . The most recent attempt was in 2007 , when a proposed amendment to ban such unions was defeated . Massachusetts State Rep. Paul Loscocco , a Republican , was one of several dozen lawmakers who changed their minds on the vote , deciding to vote against a ban . The change , he says , is reflective of society at large . `` I ca n't tell you how many calls I got from people saying , ' I called you before and now my grandson is gay -- now they 're a couple -- now I 've changed my mind and I want you to vote the other way , ' `` says Loscocco . Groups opposed to same-sex marriage said their fight , though less visible , remains strong . `` It has not gone away in hearts and minds of people , particularly parents , '' said Kris Mineau , president of the Massachusetts Family Institute . `` The costs to family , children and culture are too great to concede this battle to those who would see marriage and family redefined to the point of irrelevancy , '' the group says on its Web site . For Wilson and Compton , legalization and wider acceptance means they 're finally able to reap the same benefits of heterosexual married couples , such as hospital visitation rights . Compton was able to exercise his rights recently when he was in Rhode Island for a conference and needed emergency surgery for a kidney stone . `` I said , 'Well my husband will be coming , ' and you know they did n't even blink . They just smiled and they knew I was from Massachusetts and did n't say anything , '' recalls Compton . Other benefits include the possibility of obtaining health insurance through a spouse 's work and the right to file joint state tax returns , transfer property , automatically inherit shared assets and make medical decisions for a spouse . Fears that Massachusetts might become a destination for same-sex marriage for the rest of the country were put to rest when then-Gov . Mitt Romney dusted off a 1913 statute barring marriage in the commonwealth if a couple 's home state did not recognize the union . But it 's a different story in California , where marriage benefits will follow same-sex couples to wherever they settle . Wilson and Compton plan to be in California to celebrate , as the state on Monday becomes the second in the country to allow same-sex matrimony . Still , until same-sex marriage receives federal recognition , Wilson and Compton say , the unions will remain second-class marriages . `` We 've begun the process , California is second and as all of these couples go back to their home states , they want those same benefits . They 're going to take them back to those states and absolutely they will ask for those rights , '' says Wilson . `` I see it as a building block and eventually we will see this get to the federal level . ''
David Wilson , Rob Compton were among first same-sex couples to marry in 2004 . At least 48 same-sex divorces , which are hard to track , have been reported . California will become second state in nation to allow same-sex matrimony .