I note that Law.com is reporting that the Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled that same sex couples may marry in Connecticut. Connecticut, then, becomes the third state to approve of same sex marriage.
This is a complex and controversial trend that will certainly produce a variety of political reactions.
In my view there are two sides to this issue. As I have written previously, as a cultural or religious issue, I have viewed “marriage” as being defined as a union between one man and one woman. This is an issue of culture, religion and semantics and is beyond the scope of governments to resolve. I am speaking of the plain meaning of a word in common use in the English language and do not address the status of same sex couples living in a committed relationship – which I do not object to.
The more complex issue for the government is the legal status of the same sex couple within the borders of our political entities. I see no legitimate state interest in denying the legal rights to same sex couples which are available to married couples. I have not researched the playing field, but am told that there are literally thousands of legal situations which are complicated by the status of same sex couples and result in denial of routine civil rights and legal standing for same sex couples. This is wrong. I believe that a state can create a “civil union” which assures same sex couples of the same legal and civil rights afforded to married couples. But in the absence of this sort of provision and guarantee, the state is acting in a discriminatory way and more court challenges in more states will be the result.
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