Marriage Bill Heads to Connecticut Senate

A bill that would
reconcile Connecticut marriage law with a court ruling allowing
same-sex marriage won approval in the state senate judiciary
committee on Monday and is now headed to a vote in the full
senate.

The committee voted
30-10 for the measure, which removes gender references from
marriage laws and converts existing same-sex civil unions in
the state to legally recognized marriages.

In October, the
Connecticut supreme court ruled that gay and
lesbian couples have a constitutional right to
marry.

The bill also removes
language from a 1991 antidiscrimination law that says the state
does not condone same-sex marriage, rejects quotas for hiring
gay employees, and does not encourage teaching in schools about
"same-sex lifestyles."

In a compromise,
according to

Newsday

,

legislators will allow churches and church-controlled
properties to deny use of their facilities for same-sex
marriage ceremonies if they oppose the practice on
religious grounds. Individual clergy members may also refuse to
perform same-sex marriages, but state actors, such as justices
of the peace, must comply with the law.