Another victory for gay marriage!

Anonymous

And now there are 3 states upholding justice and equal rights for ALL who wish to marry....only 47 more to go !

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/11/nyregion/11marriage.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

It's certainly a victory and worthy of celebration! Now let's see if we can elect a president who will be favorable to the equal rights of gays!!!

~Marin

NoH8

I was just coming to post this Marin--- You beat me to the punch. Another state that I will consider moving to!

October 10, 2008

Connecticut Ruling Overturns Ban on Same-Sex Marriage

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 12:01 p.m. ET

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Connecticut's Supreme Court ruled Friday that same-sex couples have the right to marry, making the state the third behind Massachusetts and California to legalize such unions.

The divided court ruled 4-3 that gay and lesbian couples cannot be denied the freedom to marry under the state constitution, and Connecticut's civil unions law does not provide those couples with the same rights as heterosexual couples.

"I can't believe it. We're thrilled, we're absolutely overjoyed. We're finally going to be able, after 33 years, to get married," said Janet Peck of Colchester, who was a plaintiff with her partner, Carole Conklin.

Connecticut will join Massachusetts and California as the only state to allow same-sex couples to marry.

"Interpreting our state constitutional provisions in accordance with firmly established equal protection principles leads inevitably to the conclusion that gay persons are entitled to marry the otherwise qualified same sex partner of their choice," Justice Richard N. Palmer wrote in the majority opinion that overturned a lower court finding.

"To decide otherwise would require us to apply one set of constitutional principles to gay persons and another to all others," Palmer wrote.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell said Friday that she disagreed, but will not fight the ruling.

"The Supreme Court has spoken," Rell said in a statement. "I do not believe their voice reflects the majority of the people of Connecticut. However, I am also firmly convinced that attempts to reverse this decision -- either legislatively or by amending the state Constitution -- will not meet with success."

The lawsuit was brought in 2004 after eight same-sex couples were denied marriage licenses and sued, saying their constitutional rights to equal protection and due process were violated.

They said the state's marriage law, if applied only to heterosexual couples, denied them of the financial, social and emotional benefits of marriage.

Peck said that as soon as the decision was announced, the couple started crying and hugging while juggling excited phone calls from her brother and other friends and family.

"We've always dreamed of being married," she said. "Even though we were lesbians and didn't know if that would ever come true, we always dreamed of it."

 

rayne_23

hey everyone, i'm still here,

i'll update in another thread, but iwanted to comment to this.

YAY USA.

forgive me if i seem a little ignorant, I honestly have no idea what lesbian americans struggle with. Jordana and I aren't legally married, but we have all privileges that married couples have:
next of kin, my work health benefits, insurance policies,

here in the suburbs of toronto canada, our lesbian life is really and truly no different from a hetero couples'

i was offered a job where I would go to the US, move there, and although i ended up taking a positiong better suited for me, it got me thinking about my life and how different my life would be if I did move south.

I hold sweethearts' hand as we order from a take out place,
the corner drug store has one or two woman/woman anneversary cards.
no one ever questioned our ability to support our adoptive puppy and kitten,
our nieghbors love us,

I think this is maybe the reason Jordana and i aren't legally married, why?

Actually, I did tell her that when we hit ten years, we'll have a big celebratory party, and perhaps i'll marry her then...(to which she jokingly replied "well damn girl, i might not live that long! marry me now.")

So yeah, things are great, and everytime i think about the freedom i live in, i'm THANKFUL for all the women before me that worked to make it happen (i get very emotional at the pride parades)

I'm very happy the US is slowly but surely seeing that gay men and lesbians have the same rights as everyone else.

Here's to that!