spazeboy

There is some good news on the marriage equality front today: The California Supreme Court has ruled in favor of full marriage equality. Connecticut currently has a separate but unequal civil union status for same-sex couples that gives them some of the legal protections provided by the state government, but not over a thousand legal protections at the federal level.

Today’s good news did not go unnoticed by Love Makes a Family, which is working toward marriage equality in Connecticut. Love Makes a Family director Anne Stanback issued a statement today:

Today’s win energizes our work in Connecticut more than ever. We await a decision in our own marriage case, Kerrigan and Mock v. the Connecticut Department of Public Health. And our advocacy, lobbying, and educational efforts continue intensely around the state-this weekend alone, we will co-sponsor a faith forum on marriage equality in Danbury, and our organizers will be collecting signed postcards to legislators in West Hartford, Brookfield, New Britain, and Danbury.

California’s highest court did its job today and ensured all Californians are treated equally under the law. We look forward to the day when we can say the same for Connecticut, and, with your help, we will break down the door of marriage discrimination in this state. And that day is coming very soon.

The Connecticut Supreme Court heard arguments in the Kerrigan case last year and has yet to rule. The court does not have a timeline in which it must rule, and although a decision is expected soon, it could occur with less than one day’s notice.

But Love Makes a Family is planning for that as yet unknown day anyway. They’re calling it Decision Day and in light of the California decision it may in fact be coming very soon. If you want to get an e-mail as soon as Love Makes a Family learns of a decision forthcoming, and participate in the rally (and if the decision is favorable, the party!) later that day, be sure and sign up for their Decision Day mailing list.

Add this to the list of reasons why Civil Unions are but a stepping stone to full marriage equality.

The Capitol Watch blog reports that HR Block’s tax software greets parties to a civil union* who log on to the HR Block website to file their taxes with a message reading “We don’t support Connecticut Civil Union returns.” More:

Turns out Block meant that its software doesn’t support civil-union returns.
The ACLU, which sent Block a warning letter today, says that is illegal discrimination under Connecticut law. The company will compute the taxes of same-sex couples in civil unions if they come into their local H&R Block, but that costs $155 more than doing it online.

This is just one instance where the difference between civil unions and marriages causes not just inconvenience, but insult. On top of that, it’ll be $155, plus a trip to HR Block.

If you want to lend your support to the cause of achieving full marriage equality in Connecticut, you can contribute or volunteer for Love Makes a Family.

*This presents another inequity. When a man and woman enter into a marriage, they are married. When two adults enter into a civil union, they are what exactly? There is no less-than-awkward way to describe their relationship. The awkwardness is not inherent in the relationship, it comes from the fact that their relationship is relegated to a second class.

Representative Mike Lawlor and Senator Andrew McDonald announced today that they won’t be pushing for a vote on their Marriage Equality bill this session.

Update: Just a quick update, since Christine Stuart posted a report, and I like her better than the Courant I’m inserting this excerpt from CT News Junkie up top:

Connecticut could have became the first state in the nation to pass a same-sex marriage bill without a court order, but the likelihood of that happening seems to have been put on hold. Click here to read about why advocates believe it would be better to pass public policy than to let the court decide.

To add insult to injury for marriage equality advocates, Gov. M. Jodi Rell said again this week that she would veto the bill because she believes a marriage is between a man and a woman.

**End of Update**

The Courant reports:

“A significant number of legislators have told us that they are currently in favor of same-sex marriage personally, but feel the state will be ready for it in another year or two. With time, these are the people that will create a majority,” Lawlor said in a press release issued Friday. “This doesn’t surprise me because we’ve been seeing the same trends happening in the general public, too, with more people gradually coming out in support for same-sex marriage. When it passes, I hope it is a strong bipartisan vote as was the case with civil unions in 2005.”

Unfortunately the inevitable move to full marriage equality is one that won’t be taken by the state of Connecticut this year. In a letter to supporters of Love Makes a Family, Anne Stanbeck writes:

We are disappointed that after coming so far, we did not quite have the votes we needed in the House to advance the bill this session.

However, we can’t help but feel encouraged by the significant progress we have made in the two years since the civil union law passed, progress that was only possible because of strong grassroots action by people like you.

Constituent house meetings with legislators, participation in our Lobby Day, letters and op-eds to your local newspapers, door-to-door canvassing, phone calls, e-mails…all of these things made a difference in changing the hearts and minds of legislators. And, according to recent polls, there is tremendous momentum in moving public opinion here in Connecticut.

But momentum is not inevitability and it is imperative that we continue to be vocal and be visible. We still must win those remaining votes in the legislature, as well as convince Governor Rell that treating all Connecticut families fairly is the right thing to do.

OK, so the move to full marriage equality isn’t inevitable, unless we continue to call for it. Show your support for Love Makes a Family, and for marriage equality, by making a contribution or signing up to volunteer.

A call to action from Love Makes a Family [click here to send an e-mail to your State Representative, State Senator and Governor Rell]:

Connecticut’s Marriage Equality bill (HB 7395) received an overwhelming vote of support in the Judiciary Committee and is now before the full House of Representatives.

We only have a short window of time to convince legislators that the people of Connecticut—and most importantly their constituents—support allowing loving committed same-sex couples to marry.

[...]

Opponents of marriage equality, who are well organized and well funded, have been generating huge numbers of calls and emails and supporters must show our support too. Please act NOW and help Connecticut become the first state in the country to pass marriage equality in our legislature!

And the opponents of marriage equality are well organized and well funded, but they’re not getting a very good return. If you haven’t read MikeCT’s diary at My Left Nutmeg, I insist that you click through and read it immediately after you contact your legislators.

• Contact your Legislators and the Governor
• Read MikeCT’s post “Family Institute: Political Failure and Cash Cow“

MikeCT has put together a great video, compiled from clips of the hearing. At around the mark where only 50 seconds remain, you can see and hear the origin of the Golden Dolphin Award:

And the nominees are:

1. Bill Brown: “Atheists Shouldn’t be Granted Public Office” as well as the original dolphin marriage comments
2. Joan P. Haugen: “The Gays Stole the Word ‘Gay’”
3. “Reverend Ted” Tumicki: Nominated to make his aunties proud of him
4. Maggie Gallagher: For her speedy rehab, from paid government propagandist to paid religious propagandist
5. Robert Muckle: “From Contraception to the Culture of Death” and “Cultural Warming”
6. Rep. Bruce Morris: Keep Reverend Morris out of the gynecologist’s office!
7. Brian S. Brown: The “P.T. Barnum of the Religious Right”

Go and vote!

Currently it’s a close run between Brian S. Brown and Bill Brown (presumably not related). So close that I hope there’s a run-off poll between just those two.

Yesterday the Judiciary Committee passed HB 7395: An Act Concerning Marriage Equality by a vote of 27 to 15.

ConnecticutBLOG has the video highlights:

Love Makes a Family has the yeas and nays:

YES VOTES
Rep. Ryan Barry (Manchester)
Rep. Beth Bye (Avon, Farmington, West Hartford)
Sen. Eric Coleman (Bloomfield, Hartford, Windsor)
Rep. Pat Dillon (New Haven)
Rep. Gerry Fox (Stamford)
Rep. John Geragosian (New Britain)
Rep. Bob Godfrey (Danbury)
Sen. Ed Gomes (Bridgeport, Stratford)
Rep. Minnie Gonzalez (Hartford)
Rep. Ken Green (Bloomfield, Hartford)
Rep. Gail Hamm (East Hampton, Middletown)
Sen. Mary Ann Handley (Glastonbury, Manchester, Bolton, Marlborough)
Rep. Bryan Hurlburt (Ashford, Tolland, Willington)
Rep. Michael Lawlor (East Haven)
Rep. David McCluskey (West Hartford)
Sen. Andrew McDonald (Stamford, Darien)
Rep. Faith McMahon (Bloomfield, Windsor)
Sen. Ed Meyer (Branford, Guilford, Madison, Durham, Killingworth, N. Branford)
Rep. Tim O’Brien (New Britain, Newington)
Rep. Melissa Olson (Norwich)
Sen. Andrew Roraback (Brookfield, Canaan, Cornwall…)
Rep. Joe Serra (Middletown)
Rep. Jamie Spallone (Chester, Deep River, Essex, Haddam)
Rep. Cam Staples (Hamden, New Haven)
Rep. William Tong (New Canaan, Stamford)
Rep. Toni Walker (New Haven)
Rep. Elissa Wright (Groton)

Click here to read the Nays. I’m going to accentuate the positive around here. If you want to make a difference, consider making a contribution to Love Makes a Family.