Conn. court overturns same-sex marriage ban

[SockMonkeyRiot]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27117467/

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

Justices overturned a lower court ruling and found in favor of the plaintiffs, who said the state's marriage law discriminates against them because it applies only to heterosexual couples, therefore denying gay couples the financial, social and emotional benefits of marriage.


Connecticut already permitted same-sex civil unions that grant largely the same state rights as to married couples, but lack the full, federal legal protections of marriage.

Because Friday's decision was based on the state constitution, the ruling cannot be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, NBC News reported. The ruling is to take effect shortly.

Eight same-sex couples sued in 2004, saying their constitutional rights to equal protection and due process were violated when they were denied marriage licenses.

The plaintiffs wanted the court to rule that the law discriminated against them because it applies only to heterosexual couples, therefore denying gay couples the financial, social and emotional benefits of marriage.

The only U.S. states that allow same-sex couples to marry are Massachusetts and California.

[Jason Tate]

:appl:

[SockMonkeyRiot]

its a good day to be from ct

[saysmydoctor]

And the precedent has been set.

[Adeniz19]

lets just hope CA doesnt go and fuck this up by passing prop 8

[boykosaurus]

:appl:

Couldn't have said it better.

[sjb2k1]

lets just hope CA doesnt go and fuck this up by passing prop 8the thought of this makes me sick, i just got married in san fran on the 22nd of sept.

[Jason Tate]

lets just hope CA doesnt go and fuck this up by passing prop 8
So far the polls say it will not pass ... 51/44 or something like that.

[loveisdead]

Good for the state that I completely despise in most everything else haha. Glad to see this trend catching on.

[Jason Tate]

‘‘Any married couple [reasonably] would feel that they had lost something precious and irreplaceable if the government were to tell them that they no longer were ‘married’ and instead were in a ‘civil union.’ The sense of being ‘married’ -- what this conveys to a couple and their community, and the security of having others clearly understand the fact of their marriage and all it signifies -- would be taken from them. These losses are part of what same sex couples are denied when government assigns them a ‘civil union’ status. If the tables were turned, very few heterosexuals would countenance being told that they could enter only civil unions and that marriage is reserved for lesbian and gay couples. Surely there is [a] constitutional injury when the majority imposes on the minority that which it would not accept for itself.’’

[Machu505]

3 down, 47 to go!

[incredulous]

Hurray for 14th Amendment rights.

[loveisdead]

This bugs the hell out of me.

The Catholic Bishops of Connecticut and the Connecticut Catholic Conference issued a statement saying they were “extremely disappointed” in the ruling, a decision they said goes beyond the parameters set by the legislature and “imposes” the recognition of same-sex marriage upon state residents.

“The Connecticut Supreme Court has not just extended a supposed civil right to a particular class of individuals, but has chosen to redefine the institution of marriage,” the statement said. “The real battle in this court case was not about rights, since civil unions provide a vast number of legal rights to same-sex couples, but about conferring and enforcing social acceptance of a particular lifestyle; a lifestyle many people of faith and advocates of the natural law refuse to accept.”

[Siren Silently]

yeye!

[open mind]

This bugs the hell out of me.

faith shouldn't be legislated, and love is a natural (and totally inconvenient) emotion.

[SoggY ThE OnE]

‘‘Any married couple [reasonably] would feel that they had lost something precious and irreplaceable if the government were to tell them that they no longer were ‘married’ and instead were in a ‘civil union.’ The sense of being ‘married’ -- what this conveys to a couple and their community, and the security of having others clearly understand the fact of their marriage and all it signifies -- would be taken from them. These losses are part of what same sex couples are denied when government assigns them a ‘civil union’ status. If the tables were turned, very few heterosexuals would countenance being told that they could enter only civil unions and that marriage is reserved for lesbian and gay couples. Surely there is [a] constitutional injury when the majority imposes on the minority that which it would not accept for itself.’’

But Jason, the constitution was written with a Christian-bias. It's complete BS but it's the truth. This nation was founded by protestants, and their beleifs, unfortunately, have been a huge factor in the growth and development of this country. This is just one of the many examples of this.


Anyway, I'm glad Connecticut decided to wisen up.

[Jason Tate]

But Jason, the constitution was written with a Christian-bias. It's complete BS but it's the truth. This nation was founded by protestants, and their beleifs, unfortunately, have been a huge factor in the growth and development of this country. This is just one of the many examples of this.


Anyway, I'm glad Connecticut decided to wisen up.
False. Most of the founding fathers were deists. And the founding fathers were very, very clear about their desire for a secular nation.

[SoggY ThE OnE]

False. Most of the founding fathers were deists. And the founding fathers were very, very clear about their desire for a secular nation.

Good point. I wish I could eat my words now :hitself: . Freemasons and Christians didn't get along to well ;).