A decade-long battle for same-sex marriage in Connecticut has ended with the governor’s signature on a bill updating the state’s laws. Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed the legislation Thursday, one day after the state House and Senate both approved it.
The bill removes gender references from state marriage laws. It also transforms existing same-sex civil unions into legally recognized marriages as of Oct. 1, 2010. The law comes after last fall’s state Supreme Court ruling that gay couples have the right to wed in Connecticut. Even if the bill hadn’t passed, same-sex marriage would still be legal because of the ruling. Three other states — Massachusetts, Vermont and Iowa — also allow gay marriage.
Posted at http://gaytwogether.typepad.com/gaytwogether/ on 4-24-09
