Another civilized state heard from...
HARTFORD, Conn. - Connecticut joins Vermont on Saturday as the only states offering same-sex civil unions, but the day may pass with only a few raised glasses of champagne as the first gay couples exchange vows.
Because Oct. 1 falls on a Saturday, only a handful of town clerks' offices plan to be open. Gay rights activists know of some planned ceremonies that day — including one officiated by Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy, who's running for governor — but don't know how many couples will race to apply for civil unions.
"Saturday is going to be a landmark day in the civil rights movement in Connecticut," said state Sen. Andrew McDonald, D-Stamford, one of a handful of openly gay legislators in Connecticut's General Assembly.
But the law is also creating confusion with some employers who will be required to extend health benefits to same-sex couples.
"I think employers are going to start getting requests (for benefits) as soon as Monday. And they're not prepared," said Bruce Barth, an employee benefits attorney at Robinson and Cole in Hartford.
Connecticut's law passed in April, making it the first state to recognize same-sex unions without court intervention. Laws in Vermont and Massachusetts, which allows gay couples to marry, were created as a result of legal action. In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger followed through on his promise Thursday to veto a bill to legalize same-sex marriage.
Connecticut will recognize Vermont's civil unions but officials are still researching other states' domestic partnership laws and civil unions granted in foreign countries. But it will not recognize same-sex marriages because its law specifies that marriage is between a man and a woman, a distinction that angers some couples.
Town clerks and justices of the peace spent the past few weeks learning the ins and outs of civil unions. The justices, who are not required to perform civil unions, have been encouraged to conclude civil union ceremonies by pronouncing couples "partners in life" rather than husband and wife. They were also reminded that heterosexual couples aren't eligible for civil unions.
The 2000 U.S. Census found about 7,400 same-sex couples in Connecticut, but there's no way to know how many might seek civil unions.
And so begins the clusterfuck that will be the law in this area. We do recognize Vermont, because it uses the word "civil union", we don't recognize Mass., or Canada, for that matter, because it uses the word "marriage". Someone call a lawyer, there's a suit waiting to happen. Also, why should heteros be denied a civil union? That's discrimination too.
But cheers to Connecticut for giving this a go!