Same-sex marriage has been legally recognized in Connecticut since November 12, 2008, following the Connecticut Supreme Court's 4–3 ruling in Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health that the state's statutory prohibition on same-sex marriage violated the Constitution of Connecticut and that the state's civil unions failed to provide same-sex couples with rights and privileges equivalent to those of marriage.NO. NNH-CV 04-4001813 Connecticut was the second U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage after neighboring Massachusetts. Polling suggests that a large majority of Connecticut residents support the legal recognition of same-sex marriage, with a 2024 Public Religion Research Institute poll showing that 75% of respondents supported same-sex marriage.
The Connecticut General Assembly had enacted a civil union law in 2005 that provided same-sex couples with the same state-level rights and responsibilities as marriage, though the Supreme Court would rule in 2008 that relegating same-sex couples to a status less than full marriage was unconstitutional. The General Assembly repealed the statutory prohibition on same-sex marriage in 2009, and in October 2010 it ended the ability to enter into civil unions.
Background On February 17, 1987, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled in Boland v. Catalano that cohabitation agreements between unmarried partners could be enforced, provided they were not based on sexual services. From March 10, 2000 to November 30, 2009, Connecticut offered domestic partnership benefits to state employees. On July 10, 2000, Hartford established a domestic partnership registry, and Mansfield followed suit on October 14, 2003. Both registries are still in effect, and provide couples with some limited health insurance benefits.
Civil unions The state enacted a civil union law in 2005 that provided same-sex couples with the same rights and responsibilities under state law as marriage, while also explicitly defining marriage as between "one man and one woman". Connecticut became the second state in the United States, following Vermont, to adopt civil unions, and the first to do so without judicial intervention. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives on April 13 in an 85–63 vote and by the Senate on April 20 in a 26–8 vote. Governor Jodi Rell signed the bill into law later the same day, and it went into effect on October 1, 2005. Prior to the passage of the civil union legislation, Connecticut had recognized same-sex relationships solely for the purpose of providing benefits to the same-sex partners of state employees.National Conference of State Legislatures: "States offering benefits for same-sex partners of state employees" , accessed April 16, 2011
Following the Connecticut Supreme Court's October 2008 ruling in Kerrigan, which found that civil unions failed to provide same-sex couples with the rights and responsibilities of marriage, civil unions ceased to be performed and all existing unions were automatically transformed into marriages on October 1, 2010. Same-sex marriages, civil unions and domestic partnerships from other jurisdictions are now legally recognized as marriages in Connecticut.
Same-sex marriage
Statutes
On April 11, 1991, the House of Representatives passed legislation prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing, employment and credit, along with a provision prohibiting "the recognition of the right of marriage between persons of the same sex". The Senate passed the bill on April 17. Governor Lowell Weicker signed it into law on May 1, and it went into effect on October 1, 1991.sHB 7133 On April 29, 2000, the House adopted legislation by a 96–51 vote, stating that the "current public policy of the state of Connecticut is now limited to a marriage between a man and a woman", along with a provision stating that nothing "in this act shall be construed to establish or constitute an endorsement of any public policy with respect to marriage". The Senate approved the bill on May 3 by a vote of 31 to 5. It was signed into law by Governor John G. Rowland on June 1, and went into effect on October 1, 2000.Substitute for Raised H.B. No. 5830 On April 13, 2005, addressing concerns raised by Governor Jodi Rell, the House passed an amendment to the civil union bill, by 80 votes to 67, defining marriage as "the union of one man and one woman". The civil union bill was later passed in the Senate and signed into law by Governor Rell.Connecticut House passes civil unions billSubstitute for Raised S.B. No. 963Statement of Governor M. Jodi RellStatement of Governor M. Jodi Rell on House Approval of Amendment to sSB 963
On January 31, 2007, State Senator Andrew J. McDonald and State Representative Michael Lawlor, co-chairpersons of the Judiciary Committee, announced the introduction of a bill that would grant same-sex couples full marriage rights in the state of Connecticut. The bill, House Bill 7395, passed the Judiciary Committee by a vote of 27–15 on April 12, 2007. Governor Rell said she would veto any same-sex marriage legislation. The bill was never submitted to the full House or Senate prior to the adjournment of the 2007 legislative session. On April 22, 2009, legislators, both in the House (by a 100–44 vote) and in the Senate (by a 28–7 vote), agreed to replace all statutory references to marriage with gender-neutral language. Governor Rell, a Republican, signed the law on April 23.
+April 22, 2009 vote in the House of Representatives Political affiliation Voted for Voted against Absent (Did not vote) Democratic Party Republican Party Total 44 7
+April 22, 2009 vote in the Senate Political affiliation Voted for Voted against Absent (Did not vote) Democratic Party – Republican Party Total 7 1
The definition of marriage in Connecticut is now the following:
Lawsuits Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health
In August 2004, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), representing eight same-sex couples from Connecticut, filed a lawsuit in state court, challenging what they described as the state's discriminatory exclusion of same-sex couples from the right to marry. The couples, seven of whom had been denied marriage licenses in Madison, sued the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the Madison registrar of vital statistics, Dorothy Dean. They argued that this discrimination violated the equality and liberty provisions of the Constitution of Connecticut and were supported by the Connecticut Civil Liberties Union. The case was opposed by the Family Institute of Connecticut, which was denied intervenor status in the case. On July 12, 2006, Superior Court Judge Jonathan Silbert ruled against the plaintiffs, finding that:
The judge concluded that denying same-sex couples the right to marry did not violate the Connecticut Constitution. The Supreme Court of Connecticut heard an appeal by the plaintiffs in Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health on May 14, 2007. On October 10, 2008, the court released an opinion guaranteeing marriage rights to same-sex couples. The court ruled 4–3 that denying same-sex couples the right to marry violated the equality and liberty provisions of the Constitution of Connecticut. The court also held that it would be unconstitutional to relegate same-sex couples to a status less than full marriage by enacting legislation treating same-sex unions as civil unions rather than marriage:
The decision was originally scheduled to go into effect on October 28, 2008, but was delayed until November 12, in order to allow state agencies and local officials time to update procedures and prepare for issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. On November 12, the first marriage licenses were issued to same-sex couples in Connecticut. Among the first couples to obtain marriage licenses were plaintiffs in the Kerrigan case, Robin and Barbara Levine-Ritterman in New Haven, and Elizabeth Kerrigan and Joanne Mock-Kerrigan in West Hartford. The court decision made Connecticut the third U.S. state to recognize same-sex marriage, but by the time the first same-sex marriages were solemnized in Connecticut, California voters had approved a same-sex marriage ban by referendum. Governor Rell reacted to the ruling by issuing the statement: "The Supreme Court has spoken. I do not believe their voice reflects the majority of the people of Connecticut. However, I am also firmly convinced that attempts to reverse this decision - either legislatively or by amending the state Constitution - will not meet with success." State Senator Donald E. Williams Jr. called it a "civil rights victory". Before the court issued its decision, a coalition of groups that included such opponents of same-sex marriage as the state's Roman Catholic bishops and the Family Institute of Connecticut supported a November referendum on a proposal to convene a constitutional convention. On November 4, 2008, voters opposed calling a constitution convention by a 2 to 1 margin.
Mueller v. Tepler On July 16, 2014, the Connecticut Supreme Court, reversing judgments in lower courts, ruled unanimously that same-sex couples in relationships established before the state afforded legal recognition to same-sex unions should enjoy the same rights as other married couples. In Mueller v. Tepler, it allowed a woman to pursue a medical malpractice claim for the loss of income and companionship resulting from the medical care her female partner had received between 2001 and 2004.
Native American nations The Indian Civil Rights Act primarily aims to protect the rights of Native Americans but also reinforces the principle of tribal self-governance. While it does not grant sovereignty, the Act affirms the authority of tribes to govern their own legal affairs. Consequently, many tribes have enacted their own marriage and family laws. As a result, the 2008 state ruling in Kerrigan and the subsequent U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges did not automatically apply to tribal jurisdictions. Same-sex marriage has been legal on the reservation of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe since April 29, 2010. The Tribal Code states that "two persons may be joined in marriage" provided the parties are of marriageable age and meet all the legal requirements to marry. Marriages entered into outside the tribe's jurisdiction are valid if they are valid in the jurisdiction where they were entered into. The tribe also recognizes customary marriages performed according to Indigenous traditions. Native Americans have deep-rooted marriage traditions, placing a strong emphasis on community, family and spiritual connections. Pequot marriages () incorporate spiritual practices such as smudging, traditional clothing, feasting, and dancing. Marriages were exogamous and mostly monogamous, though chiefs () occasionally practiced polygyny.
While there are no records of same-sex marriages as understood from a Western perspective being performed in Native American cultures, there is evidence for identities and behaviours that may be placed on the LGBT spectrum. Many of these cultures recognized two-spirit individuals who were born male but wore women's clothing and performed everyday household work and artistic handiwork which were regarded as belonging to the feminine sphere. This two-spirit status allowed for marriages between two biological males to be performed in some of these tribes. In the Mohegan-Pequot language, two-spirit individuals are known as ().
Demographics and marriage statistics