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Same-sex couples start marrying in Conn.
Judge cleared way Wednesday morning for same-sex marriage to begin
Published Thursday, 13-Nov-2008 in issue 1090
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) – A judge cleared the way Wednesday for same-sex marriage to begin Wednesday in Connecticut, a victory for advocates stung by California’s referendum that banned same-sex unions in that state.
Couples immediately marched to New Haven City Hall to get marriage licenses, and less than two hours after the final court hearing, Peg Oliveira and Jennifer Vickery were married in a brief ceremony next to New Haven City Hall.
“I feel so happy,” said Vickery, a 44-year-old attorney who has a 3-month-old baby with Oliveira. “It’s so much more emotional than I expected.”
The judge’s order marks “the end of a very long journey toward equality,” plaintiffs’ attorney Bennett Klein said earlier. “Each of the plaintiffs asked me to convey to the court how proud they are to be citizens of this state.”
The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled 4-3 on Oct. 10 that same-sex couples have the right to wed rather than accept a civil union law designed to give them the same rights as married couples.
Manchester Town Clerk Joseph Camposeo, president of the Connecticut Town Clerks Association, said clerks were advised by e-mail shortly after 9:30 a.m. they could start issuing the licenses.
“The feedback I’m getting from other clerks is that we’re all at the ready, but no one really has a sense yet of what kind of volume we’re going to get,” he said.
According to the state public health department, 2,032 civil union licenses were issued in Connecticut between Oct. 2005 and July 2008.
The health department had new marriage applications printed that reflect the change. Instead of putting one name under “bride” and the other under “groom,” couples will see two boxes marked “bride/groom/spouse.”
Only Connecticut and Massachusetts have legalized same-sex marriage. The unions were legal in California until a statewide referendum to ban same-sex marriage narrowly passed last week. The vote has sparked protests and several lawsuits asking that state’s Supreme Court to overturn the prohibition.
Constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriage also passed last week in Arizona and Florida, and Arkansas voters approved a measure banning unmarried couples from serving as adoptive or foster parents.
However, Connecticut voters last week rejected the idea of a constitutional convention to amend the state’s constitution, a major blow to opponents of same-sex marriage.
The Family Institute of Connecticut, a political action group that opposes same-sex marriage, condemned the high court’s decision as undemocratic. Peter Wolfgang, the group’s executive director, acknowledged banning same-sex marriage in Connecticut would be difficult but vowed not to give up.
“Unlike California, we did not have a remedy,” Wolfgang said. “It must be overturned with patience, determination and fortitude.”
The state’s 2005 civil union law will remain on the books, at least for now. Same-sex couples can continue to enter civil unions, which give them the same legal rights and privileges in Connecticut as married couples without the status of being married.
State Rep. Michael Lawlor, D-East Haven, co-chairman of the legislature’s Judiciary Committee, said lawmakers will have to decide the fate of the civil union law.
“We’ll definitely be taking this up,” he said. The new legislative session opens in January.
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