I am proud to live in my adopted state of Connecticut, where marriage equality is supported. It is an honor to serve gay and lesbian couples who desire to express their commitment to one another by entering into the covenant of marriage.
Jim Revak & Michael Conley
all
other rights enumerated in the Constitution, are secondary to the inalienable
human rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" proclaimed
in the Declaration of Independence; and to this category the right
to home and marriage unquestionably belongs.”
— Hannah Arendt, 1959. Political scientist and philosopher
Marriage equality in Connecticut
Congratulations to Connecticut on being the second state in the union
to legally support marriage equality!
On November 12th, 2008, the Connecticut Supreme Court made it legal
for any two people regardless of gender to legally marry provided they
meet marriage requirements of Connecticut.
GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders) has published two
very helpful publications that you can download:
“A
Brief Q & A about Marriage for Same-Sex Couples in Connecticut” and
“How
to Get Married in Connecticut.”
Massachusetts
The commonwealth of Massachusetts was the first U.S. state to approve
marriage equality, on May 17th, 2004 and only the sixth jurisdiction
in the world.
Other States Supporting Marriage Equality
• Iowa as of April, 2009.
• Vermont approved same-sex marriage in September of 2009.
• New Hampshire as of January 1st, 2010
• The District of Columbia, March 2010
• California. On August 4th, 2010, Proposition 8, banning same-sex marriage was over-turned by Judge Vaughn R. Walker. Twelve days later, a federal appeals court extended the stay on same-sex marriages until it decides whether a ban on such unions is unconstitutional. So…as of this writing, the struggle continues.
New York
Although New York State has yet to grant marriage equality, in September
of 2008, Governor David Paterson issued an executive order requiring
all government agencies of New York to recognize the same-sex marriages
performed in other states (or countries.)
Other Countries Supporting Marriage Equality
The
Netherlands: 2001, Belgium: 2003, Spain: 2005, Canada: 2005, South Africa: 2006,
Norway: 2008, Sweden: 2009, Portugal: 2010, Iceland: 2010 and most recently,
Argentina: 2010. 
What else is happening in New England?
GLAD and MassEquality announced in 2008, a “6 x 12” campaign
with the goal of bringing marriage equality to all six New England states
by 2012.
Keeping Informed
To keep up on the latest legislation about marriage equality, visit these
websites:
www.GLAD.org
www.MassEquality.org
And for news on California’s continuing efforts: www.CourageCampaign.org.
