On the heels of the death penalty hearing and vigils comes another opportunity for Wesleyan students to affect state politics.
This Monday, Feb. 7, the Connecticut legislature will hold public hearings on a bill supporting same-sex marriage in Connecticut. In recent years, the bill has been stopped in the judiciary committee, but the vote is much closer this year than ever before. If the bill passes the judiciary committee, it has a very good chance of being adopted into law. Working with Connecticut-based same-sex marriage advocacy group Love Makes a Family, we are organizing two ways for Wesleyan students to get involved.
First, on Saturday, Feb. 5, we will canvass in State Congresswoman Gayle Slossberg’s district in West Haven. We’re trying to get her to vote with us by identifying constituents who support same-sex marriage in her district. (Slossberg is a key swing vote, but right now she only supports civil unions). There’s a training session from 10:00-11:00 a.m., and then we’ll go door to door until noon. West Haven is about an hour away from here, so we’d leave by 9:00 a.m. We’ll meet this Friday, Feb. 4, at 5:00 p.m. in Meeting Room 2 of the Campus Center (tentative) to coordinate the logistics. If you’re interested in this, email jsgoldin@wesleyan.edu as soon as possible, to secure free food once we’re there.
Second, the public hearing is on Monday, Feb. 7, at the Capitol Building in Hartford. Signs are not allowed inside the chamber, but the more people we can get in the room to show support, the better. If you prepare a written statement, you may be able to testify in front of the committee. This is going to be a really close vote, and it’s something that Wesleyan students can actually make a difference on.
If you’re interested in going, we will meet on the first floor of the Campus Center at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday to figure out logistics like rides. The public hearing goes from 1:00-7:00 p.m. on Monday.
Directions to the Legislative Offices:
Take I-91 North to Hartford. Take Exit 29A, Capitol Ave., stay over to the far left. You will come to Pulaski Circle, travel halfway around and take a right onto Elm Street. Go to the end of Elm Street, you are now facing the Capitol building. Take a left onto Trinity Street. At the first traffic light take a right onto Capitol Avenue. Go past the Capitol building and the I-84 entrance ramp, all on your right. Take the first right past the legislative office building, proceed to the back of the garage and take a right to enter the garage using the left hand lane. Parking options include behind the building, or the unpaved lot on Capitol and Broad Street. Once inside the building, guards will be able to direct you to the right room.
For details, contact jsgoldin@wesleyan.edu or esimkobednar@wesleyan.edu. Please let us know if you have a car; we’d like to have people leaving in multiple shifts on Monday.
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