Questioning marriage’s status as a civil right, Connecticut’s lawmakers and citizens came together in Hartford on Monday to discuss the passage of Bill 963: An Act Concerning Marriage Equality. The public hearing was held in front of the Connecticut General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Judiciary and several hundred people came out to hear citizens speak for or against gay marriage.

“I am concerned because there weren’t many government members there and they might be against it,” said Erin Wisman ’06.

Bill 963 changes the language of Connecticut’s current statute to legalize marriage between any two people. The words “bride and groom” and “man and woman” have been removed in order to allow room for same-sex marriages.

Approximately 20 Wesleyan students attended the event.
“It seemed productive,” said Josh Ente ’08. “It was a good debate that will hopefully translate into progressive action.”

The demand for the state’s adoption of same-sex marriage, as opposed to civil unions, creates a unique situation for legislators and community members. While marriages are recognized in all states, civil unions are not. Civil unions do not include Social Security survivor benefits, the right to sponsor a spouse for immigration, or the ability to take care of a family member while on leave from work.

“One of the most powerful aspects was that no one argued just for civil unions and not marriage,” said Nina Roma-Agvanian ’06. “They wanted all or nothing, and not halfway. I hear all of the time about the very pressing and practical issue of gay couples not getting the same legal rights. I think it is very important.”

At the hearing, many spoke about the benefits of having a legally recognized marriage. Two men discussed their two year old son and the importance of being legally recognized as a family. A lesbian woman relayed her struggle with breast cancer and help people now,“ Wisman said.

Arguments against marriage equality included potential negative effects for children, the negation of the sacred union between men and women, and an increase of polygamy and disease within the homosexual community.

”The viable arguments against same-sex marriage are so overwhelmed by the ones for it,“ said Drake Morgan ’07. ”We just don’t know the impact the same-sex parents have on children. I don’t think it’s a sufficient argument.“

”There’s something to be said about people who come from religious standpoints. Maybe some of their arguments make sense, but we must separate church and state. I don’t understand how people can keep bringing it up,“ Roma-Agvanian said.

There are no official statistics with regards to the number of Connecticut legislators in favor of marriage equality because it has not come to a vote and remains in committee. According to Love Makes a Family, a coalition of organizations working toward marriage equality in Connecticut, a 2004 UConn poll showed that 53% of Connecticut residents oppose legislation defining marriage as being between a man and a woman. 74% of those polled said that they would support legislation that would allow same-sex couples to enter into a civil union.

On Saturday, Feb. 5, a group of 16 Wesleyan students, in conjunction with Love Makes a Family, canvassed part of West Haven to assess people’s feelings about same-sex marriage in State Congresswoman Gayle Slossberg’s district.

”After training for a half hour, we went door to door to ask how people felt about this issue,“ said Jacob Goldin ’07. Goldin, along with Judith Klausner ’07, formed a working group called Wesleyan Marriage Equality (WESMAREQ) to tackle issues regarding same-sex marriage.

According to Goldin, 101 of the people polled were in favor of full marriage for same-sex couples, 26 people were in favor of civil unions, 15 were undecided, and 24 were against it. ”Ultimately, we would like to convince people to change their votes from civil union to in favor of gay marriage,“ Goldin said.