Gay Connecticut Couples Sue To Marry
by Margo Williams, 365Gay.com from the Web, August 25, 2004
Hartford, CT -- A lawsuit challenging Connecticut's refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples was filed Wednesday in New Haven Superior Court.
Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, the Boston-based group that won marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples in Massachusetts, launched the suit on behalf of seven couples from across Connecticut who were recently denied marriage licenses in Madison, Connecticut.
"This case presents a historic opportunity for Connecticut," said Mary Bonauto, GLAD's Civil Rights Director.
"Marriage is both a profound personal commitment and unique legal relationship that provides enormous protections to families.
As a simple matter of equality, it is time for Connecticut to end this discrimination against same-sex couples and their families."
The plaintiff couples, who have been in committed relationships for between 10 and 28 years, many of them raising children, contend that only marriage will provide them with the protections and benefits they need to live securely as families.
Five of the seven couples have young children; some have faced health issues and worry about being denied access to one other in times of crisis.
While all the couples are concerned about receiving the full range of protections that only flow through marriage, many also believe that only marriage will convey the depth and commitment of their relationships to their families and the world at large.
"I met someone, fell in love, and we have built a life together for 24 years," said Garrett Stack, 57, who along with partner John Anderson, 61, are among the couples suing.
"That's why I want to get married until death do us part."
"This case is about American citizens who pay taxes, vote, walk their dogs, wash their cars, own homes, and raise children," said Teresa C. Younger, Executive Director of the Connecticut Civil Liberties Union, which joined GLAD in filing the suit.
"Our plaintiffs, American gay men and lesbians, are entitled to the same protections and rights as other Americans.
The American dream is embedded in equality and fairness, and marrying the one you love is part of the American dream. No one should be denied that right."
The defendants in the case are the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), which supervises the registration of all marriages, and Dorothy C. Bean, the town registrar of vital statistics in Madison, who denied plaintiffs marriage licenses.
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