Stamford Women Enter Into City's First Same-Sex Marriage(Stamford Advocate)
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
By: Magdalene Perez

STAMFORD - Deborah Smith and Laura DeNardis became the first Stamford couple to be wed under the state Supreme Court's ruling legalizing same-sex marriages. A justice of the peace married the couple shortly after 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at Stamford Government Center following a state Superior Court ruling in New Haven clearing the way for municipalities to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

Only Connecticut and Massachusetts have legalized gay marriage. The unions were legal in California until a statewide referendum to ban gay marriage narrowly passed last week. The vote has sparked protests and several lawsuits asking that state's Supreme Court to overturn the prohibition.

Smith and DeNardis, also 42, got a civil union in 2005 and were married in a non-legal ceremony in 1995. A priest presided over the ceremony, held at the Metropolitan Community Church in Washington D.C. Metropolitan Community Churches are a gay-and lesbian-oriented Christian ministry. Friends and family attended the ceremony, and the couple exchanged diamond rings.

"We didn't have any legal avenue, but we went through the spiritual and the emotional commitment," DeNardis said.

Three other people arrived in the Stamford government center Wednesday morning to pick up marriage applications as the town clerk waited for notice from New Haven that the final ruling had been issued.

John Stansell, 63, and Michael Pellegrino, 64, were one of the first couples to fill out a marriage license application.

"This is serendipitous for us," Stansell said. "We planned this service for a long time."

Maureen Boylan, 45, also arrived at the town clerk's office early to pick up a marriage license and celebrate the historic ruling. Boylan plans to have a small ceremony with her partner, Barbara LeCornec, 62, in the spring.

"I'm here in support today of a historic and momentous day," Boylan said. "It's one we fought very hard for."

Connecticut's 2005 civil union law will remain on the books, at least for now. Same-sex couples can continue to enter civil unions, which give them the same legal rights and privileges in Connecticut as married couples without the status of being married.

Constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage also passed last week in Arizona and Florida, and Arkansas voters approved a measure banning unmarried couples from serving as adoptive or foster parents.

However, Connecticut voters last week rejected the idea of a constitutional convention to amend the state's constitution, a major blow to opponents of same-sex marriage.

The Family Institute of Connecticut, a political action group that opposes gay marriage, condemned the high court's decision as undemocratic. Peter Wolfgang, the group's executive director, acknowledged banning gay marriage in Connecticut would be difficult but vowed not to give up.

"Unlike California, we did not have a remedy," Wolfgang said. "It must be overturned with patience, determination and fortitude."

The high court ruled 4-3 on Oct. 10 that same-sex couples have the right to wed rather than accept a civil union law designed to give them the same rights as married couples.

State Rep. Michael Lawlor, D-East Haven, co-chairman of the legislature's Judiciary Committee, said lawmakers will have to decide the fate of the civil union law.

"We'll definitely be taking this up," he said. The new legislative session opens in January. - The Associated Press contributed to this report.