A
Connecticut
civil
unions
bill
that
has
strong
support
and
appears
likely
to
pass
has
divided
some
gay
leaders
who
view
the
measure
as
a
compromise
that
would
make
gay
and
lesbian
couples
second-class
citizens.
Last
week,
the
state’s
Joint
Judiciary
Committee
voted
25-13
in
favor
of
a
bill
that
would
give
gay
couples
the
almost
all
of
the
same
state
rights
as
married
heterosexuals.
Like
Vermont’s
civil
union
legislation,
Connecticut’s
will
fall
short
of
full
marriage,
as
in
Massachusetts,
that
would
enjoy
a
much
stronger
chance
of
recognition
in
other
states.
If
the
Connecticut
bill
passes
—
as
many
experts
predict
it
will
—
it
would
mark
the
first
time
that
a
legislative
body
adopted
such
a
measure
without
the
influence
of
a
court
decision.
Vermont
was
the
first
state
to
enact
civil
unions
in
2000
but
that
was
after
the
state’s
supreme
court
ordered
the
legislature
to
determine
the
best
way
to
grant
equal
relationship
rights
to
gay
couples.
The
support
for
the
civil
unions
measure
has
been
so
overwhelming
that
the
state’s
gay
rights
coalition,
Love
Makes
a
Family,
announced
this
week
they
were
ending
their
opposition
to
the
measure.
Previously,
the
group
supported
an
“all-or-nothing”
strategy
saying
that
marriage
for
gay
citizens
was
the
only
option
for
lawmakers
to
consider.
“We
are
not
working
to
kill
the
bill;
we
will
work
to
make
it
better
before
the
session
ends,”
said
Anne
Stanback,
president
of
Love
Makes
a
Family.
Rep.
Michael
Lawlor
(D-East
Haven),
co-chair
of
the
Judiciary
Committee,
says
that
while
“marriage
is
better,”
the
passage
of
the
civil
unions
bill
is
a
“major
step
forward
for
the
gay
community.”
Support
for
the
civil
union
bill
is
seen
as
strong.
It
received
some
indirect
support
on
Tuesday
when
Republican
Gov.
M.
Jodi
Rell
told
reporters
that
she
supports
the
concept
of
civil
unions.
“I
don’t
believe
in
discrimination
of
any
sort,
and
I
want
people
to
have
equal
rights
and
equal
opportunities,”
Rell
told
the
Hartford
Courant.
While
the
governor
did
not
evaluate
the
recently
approved
civil
unions
bill,
her
comments
ended
speculation
on
what
her
position
was
on
this
issue.
Rell,
who
opposes
same-sex
marriage,
was
likely
to
endorse
civil
unions
as
an
alternative,
sources
say,
since
she
voted
in
1991
as
a
state
legislator
for
a
gay
rights
law
that
banned
discrimination
against
gays
in
housing,
employment
and
other
areas.
Some
gay
leaders
fear
that
should
the
civil
unions
bill
pass
and
become
law,
it
would
end
any
discussion
of
full-fledged
marriage
for
gay
couples.
Critics
point
to
Vermont
and
note
that
lawmakers
there
have
not
pushed
for
marriage
equality
after
five
years
of
civil
unions.
Stanback
said
while
the
very
context
of
the
Connecticut
civil
unions
bill
“would
be
writing
into
law
that
same-sex
couples
need
a
separate
system
to
get
protections
for
our
families,”
her
group
decided
to
end
its
active
opposition
to
the
measure
after
she
received
reassurances
from
lawmakers
that
the
civil
unions
bill
would
not
be
the
“end
of
the
road”
for
full
marriage
equality.
“I’ve
been
assured
that
the
conversation
for
full
equality
does
not
stop
with
this
bill,”
Stanback
said.
Lawlor
agreed
the
civil
unions
bill
would
not
close
the
door
on
future
discussions
of
marriage
equality
for
gays.
“We
will
push
for
that,”
Lawlor
said.
“It
won’t
take
too
long,
but
this
is
an
important
first
step
to
getting
there
because
right
now
the
governor
and
Republican
leaders
are
opposed
to
gay
marriage.
“I
think
for
them
taking
this
step
[and
endorsing
civil
unions]
coming
to
these
conclusions
in
the
last
few
months
…
after
that
settles
in
you
can
move
forward
and
say,
‘See,
wouldn’t
this
be
an
awful
lot
simpler
to
just
call
it
marriage
because
that’s
what
it
is.’
For
now,
I
think
the
symbolic
change
going
on
in
Connecticut
is
almost
as
important.”
Not
everyone
is
supporting
Connecticut’s
attempt
to
enact
civil
unions
for
gay
couples.
The
Connecticut
Catholic
Conference
opposes
the
measure,
noting
that
it
is
“same-sex
marriage
by
another
name,”
according
to
a
statement
on
the
group’s
Web
site.
The
Conference
also
asserts
that
a
pending
same-sex
marriage
court
case
in
Connecticut
is
likely
to
succeed
should
the
civil
union
legislation
pass.
Openly
gay
Vermont
Rep.
Bill
Lippert
said
gay
couples
in
his
state
should
not
expect
the
legislature
to
take
up
gay
marriage
any
time
soon.
That
state
has
had
civil
unions
for
five
years.
Connecticut
activists
fear
if
they
settle
for
civil
unions
this
year,
the
legislature
will
not
consider
full
marriage
rights
for
gay
residents
in
the
future.
(Photo
by
Tony
Talbot/AP)
|
“Passage
of
civil
union
legislation
will
very
likely
affect
the
outcome
of
the
pending
Connecticut
court
case,”
according
to
the
statement.
“This
legislation
clearly
increases
the
possibility
of
court
imposed
same-sex
marriage
on
the
citizens
of
Connecticut.”
Catholic
Conference
officials
could
not
be
reached
for
comment.
Seth
Kilbourn,
national
field
director
for
the
Human
Rights
Campaign,
said
civil
unions
are
“a
good
thing”
and
points
to
how
far
the
gay
...
