Same-sex Couples Challenge CT's Marriage Laws
Av Harris, WNPR

HARTFORD, CT (2004-08-25) Seven gay couples in Connecticut have sued the state, seeking the right to marry.

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The couples were all denied marriage licenses in the seaside town of Madison. Just like those who filed suit and won the right to marry in neighboring Massachusetts, these couples from Connecticut claim they are not being granted the constitutional guarantee of equal protection under the law. Forty-one year old plaintiff Jeffrey Busch says he's taking legal action so he and his partner of fifteen years can build a better future for their two-year old son, Eli.

[BUSCH:] "He just knows he's got 'Daddy' and 'Papa,' but as he grows older I'm determined to make sure he knows his family's as valid as anybody else's family; that he knows we've done everything we can do be good parents, and that includes securing all the rights that come with being the child of married parents."

Opponents of gay marriage say the couples are trying to circumvent the legislative process by going to court. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal says he will fight the lawsuit.

[BLUMENTHAL:] "A marriage relationship is authorized only between a man and a woman. This statute is not unconstitutional on its face and so my office has a duty to defend our statute." Attorneys on both sides expect a legal battle of up to three years before a final decision is made on whether gay couples who live in Connecticut have the right to get married.

For WNPR, I'm Av Harris at the Capitol.