Gay Group Blocks Civil Unions in Connecticut

Imagine my surprise when I read that Connecticut is very close to approving civil unions. WOW!!! But wait, our leaders in the gay community have decided to push for same-sex marriage jepordizing civil unions. If civil unions give us the same rights as marriage, who cares what they call it? When a het couple gets married, they get a marriage license from the state, basically they have entered into a civil contract. with license in hand (or not as per Brittany Spears) they can partake in the religious ceremony of marriage. When they want to divorce they go back to the state to end the contract.

Tactic May Stall Bid For Civil Unions by MARK PAZNIOKAS Hartford Courant 1/27/2005

Connecticut appeared poised this year to become the first state to approve civil unions for same-sex couples without the threat of court intervention. But now the chances of passage have greatly dimmed as the result of a controversial decision by an influential gay rights group. Love Makes A Family began telling legislative allies Wednesday it is launching an all-or-nothing campaign for a same-sex marriage law. It is a decision that puts the group at odds with legislative supporters, some of whom see Connecticut on the threshold of extending an important civil right.

"We have an opportunity to provide significant rights and responsibilities to same-sex couples this session," said Sen. Andrew McDonald, D-Stamford, co-chairman of the judiciary committee. "Whatever form that takes, we should seize upon it." Rep. Cameron Staples, D-New Haven, said civil unions have picked up significant bipartisan support in the last two years, including an unexpected endorsement from one of the legislature's leading conservatives, House Minority Leader Robert Ward, R-North Branford. "We have a real opportunity to pass a civil union bill this year with all the rights of marriage. The position taken by Love Makes a Family puts that at risk," Staples said. "I was disappointed."

Love Makes a Family, a coalition of groups backing equal marriage rights for same-sex couples,always set marriage as its goal. What's new, legislators said, is the all-or-nothing strategy articulated in e-mails a few days ago and in conversations Wednesday. Anne Stanback, the president of Love Makes a Family, said the group feels that Connecticut has a special place in the debate today: Polls show the state is open to the idea of same-sex marriage. "We are one of only a few states that can get marriage," she said. "It is very important that we not take this second-class citizenship [of civil unions]. It's not a stepping stone to marriage, it is a dead end."

A University of Connecticut poll in April found 49 percent of residents supporting gay marriage and 46 percent opposed. By contrast, an overwhelming 74 percent support same-sex civil unions. Stanback said the organization was influenced by a court decision leading to same-sex marriages in Massachusetts. "Massachusetts is a huge factor why we feel that this year we have to stand strong for marriage," she said. Stanback said she understands that her legislative allies may be surprised that Love Makes a Family would reject civil unions, which she acknowledged would offer significant new rights and protections to gay couples. "Up here we understand that compromise is what happens on so many issues. But this is a civil rights issue, and we just don't feel like we can compromise on fairness and equality," Stanback said.

A same-sex marriage bill faces seemingly insurmountable hurdles: The legislation would originate in the judiciary committee, where it probably would be defeated, and Gov. M. Jodi Rell is strongly opposed to gay marriage. Rep. Michael P. Lawlor, D-East Haven, a same-sex marriage supporter and the co-chairman of the judiciary committee, said he would not rule out offering a civil-union bill. But Ward and Staples each questioned if a civil union bill could pass if Love Makes a Family lobbied its supporters to vote with gay rights opponents and kill the measure. Lawlor estimates that one-third of the legislature is highly supportive of gay rights, one-third is strongly opposed and the remainder is open to new rights such as civil unions. "They are the swing voters," Lawlor said. The swing voters are personified by legislators such as Rep. Pamela Z. Sawyer, R-Bolton. "I am very comfortable with civil unions," Sawyer said. Sawyer said a civil union law would eliminate inequities now faced by gay couples. She described a gay constituent whose partner of 30 years died, leaving the survivor with a sizable estate tax
bill to pay on the joint property they had accumulated. If the couple had legal status of a civil union, the survivor would not owe the tax, she said. Asked about same-sex marriage, Sawyer hesitated and said, "I don't know."

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