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.