Holy! Same-Sex Couples Free to Marry in Connecticut!

This morning the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that it’s unconstitutional for the state to deny same-sex couples the right to marry.The ACLU of Connecticut was co-counsel in the case, Kerrigan & Mock et al v. Connecticut Department of Public Health, along with Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders.

Justice Richard N. Palmer wrote in the decision:

Interpreting our state constitutional provisions in accordance with firmly established equal protection principles leads inevitably to the conclusion that gay people are entitled to marry… To decide otherwise would require us to apply one set of constitutional principles to gay persons and another to all others.

This decision was a loooong time coming. The case was first brought in 2004 in New Haven Superior Court on behalf of eight gay and lesbian Connecticut couples who had been denied marriage licenses. The couples have now been together for between 10 and 32 years, and are raising a total of 14 children.

Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell has said that she won’t fight the ruling.

Want to learn more about how to fight for relationship recognition for same-sex couples? Visit the ACLU LGBT Project’s online toolkit, Get Busy, Get Equal!