Amid the roses and balloons, and the tears and cheers of joy, gay men and lesbian couples married in Connecticut last Wednesday -- the first day that same-sex marriages became legal there.
Barbara Levine-Ritterman of New Haven, Conn., and her partner of more than 16 years, Robin, were one of the eight couples who sued the state in 2004 after they were refused marriage licenses.
And so it was especially fitting that they were the first same-sex couple to obtain a marriage license Wednesday morning from New Haven City Hall -- only minutes after superior court judge Jonathan Silbert entered final judgment on the case just a few blocks away across town.
“It made me proud,” Levine-Ritterman said, adding that when she and Robin filed for a civil union three years ago, they were required to stand in a separate line from those who were seeking marriage licenses.
But she said it “felt very different” on Wednesday when the two women stood in the same line as every other couple -- straight or same-gendered.
“I’m proud that Connecticut is my home,” Levine-Ritterman said.
Connecticut became the third state in the nation to legalize marriage equality on October 10 -- joining California and Massachusetts -- after its supreme court ruled that denying gay couples the right to marry violated the state’s constitution.
Earlier this month voters in California passed Proposition 8, amending the state’s constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage. The state’s supreme court had ruled in May that denying gay and lesbian couples the right to marry violated the constitution.
Previously, Connecticut only afforded same-sex couples the recognition of civil unions.
But in Kerrigan and Mock et al. v. Connecticut Dept. of Public Health (the department that supervises marriage licensing in Connecticut), Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, in conjunction with a team of Connecticut-based attorneys, argued that the state’s 2005 civil union law failed to provide same-sex couples with the equal protection guaranteed under Connecticut’s constitution.
Ben Klein, the senior GLAD lawyer who argued the marriage case before the court, said usually when final judgment is entered on a decision, it is done with little fanfare and generally handled by the court’s clerks.
But on Wednesday morning, he said, Judge Silbert chose to read aloud and then sign the ruling during an open court hearing -- an event that was attended by all eight plaintiff couples; Connecticut’s attorney general, Richard Blumenthal; and numerous gay marriage supporters and members of the press.
These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.
If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above.
All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.
See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.
Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.
Home | Contact | Current Issue | LGBT Community Partners | Staff
Jobs | Help
Subscribe: Print Edition Digital Edition | Subscriber Services: Print Edition Digital Edition
Visit our Websites
Out.com | OutTraveler.com | HIVPlusMag.com | Alyson.com | HereTV.com | GayWired.com | SheWired.com
Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Community Guidelines | Legal Notice
Advocate.com © 2009 Regent Entertainment Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.
