Connecticut voters back court’s gay marriage decision

by for PinkNews.co.uk
17 December 2008, 4:43pm

A majority of people in Connecticut support the state Supreme Court’s ruling that on gay marriage, according to a poll released today.

The Supreme Court of Connecticut overturned a ban on gay marriage in September. It ruled that barring same-sex partners from marrying was a violation of their constitutional rights.

There have been more than 2,000 civil unions in the state since they were legalised in 2005.

The first same-sex weddings took place in November.

In the new Quinnipiac University poll, 52% of voters said they supported the Supreme Court and 39% opposed it, with 9% undecided.

Given a choice between gay marriage and civil unions, 12% oppose any legal recognition, 43% support gay marriage and 39% support civil unions.

61% oppose amending the state Constitution to ban gay marriage, with 33% in favour.

“Connecticut voters are not in love with same-sex marriage,” said poll director Douglas Schwartz.

“But four out of five voters support some legal recognition for same-sex unions and by almost two-to-one and voters do not want to change the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage.”

A similar state Supreme Court ruling in California in May allowed gay marriage, and an estimated 18,000 gay and lesbian couples have taken advantage of their new rights.

Voters approved a ballot measure in November that seeks to deny gay couples their marriage rights by changing the state constitution to define marriage as only between a man and a woman.

Gay rights groups are challenging the validity of Proposition 8 in court.

Californian gay and lesbian couples can still register domestic partnerships but cannot get married.

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