Connecticut was only the second state in the country after Massachusetts to legalize same sex marriage. The law was brought into effect after a 2008 court case brought to light by the group Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders. The group was representing eight homosexual couples who wanted wedding equality in Connecticut. In the resulting Supreme Court case of Kerrigan and Mock v. the CT Department of Public Health, the legislature voted to allow Connecticut gay marriage.
Since 2005, and before the law was changed to allow marriage, civil unions had been allowed in Connecticut. On October 1st, 2010, all civil unions were changed to marriages in accordance with the 2008 ruling. In addition, all same-sex marriages, civil unions, and domestic partnerships from other states are treated as marriages in Connecticut.
Despite being one of the earliest states to approve equality measures for same-sex couples, only a slight majority (55%) of Connecticut voters agree with the current Connecticut Gay Marriage policy, according to a 2012 poll. This number still outweighs the 33% who want it to become illegal again and the 12% who were not sure. Seventy percent of polled residents have indicated that same-sex marriage has not had an effect on their lives.
According to the 2010 United States Census, there were 7,852 same-sex couples living in Connecticut. This translates to 0.57% of households across the state.
Groups that worked on passing Connecticut Gay Marriage and continue to fight for equality include Love Makes a Family, a non-profit organization, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, which works to protect the legal rights of citizens and end discrimination, and the nationwide organization Freedom to Marry. Of these, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders is the largest, and headed the Supreme Court Case that ultimately led to the legalization of gay marriage in Connecticut.
