SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IN CONNECTICUT

The following is excerpted from GLAD’s A Brief Q&A About Marriage For Same-Sex Couples in Connecticut (http://www.glad.org/uploads/docs/publications/ct-marriage-q-and-a.pdf). On October 10, 2008, Connecticut’s Supreme Court ruled that the state can no longer bar same-sex couples from marrying.

Requirements for Marriage in Connecticut

As of November 12, 2008, any couple regardless of gender can marry in Connecticut, provided they meet the state’s marriage requirements. Those requirements include:

• must be 18 or older (if under 18 a person can marry with the approval of a parent, guardian or district judge);
• not be married or in a civil union with a different person (you can marry the same person with whom you already have a civil union);
• not be closely related by blood or marriage; and
• have approval if under conservatorship.

Where to get a Marriage License

Each person wishing to get married must go to a town hall and fill out a marriage application (an application can also be downloaded from the internet and filled out at the town hall). If a person is a Connecticut resident, that person must go to the town hall where he/she resides or where the ceremony will take place. For non-resident couples, the couple must apply for the marriage license in the town where the ceremony takes place. After submission of the application, the town clerk provides a marriage license. After the ceremony, the person who officiates at the wedding must return the marriage license to the town where the ceremony took place.

Required Documents and Fees

Couples need to bring the following documents to the Town Clerk’s office:

• valid form of identification (driver’s license, resident ID, passport or birth certificate);
• completed marriage license application; and
• $30 marriage license fee.

The Wedding Ceremony

A couple has 65 days from the day they apply for a marriage license to have a wedding ceremony. Persons authorized to marry couples in Connecticut include:

• all Connecticut judges and retired judges;
• all federal judges and judges from any state who are authorized to marry;
• all Connecticut justices of the peace, family support magistrates and state referees; and
• ordained clergy from any state provided they are currently in the ministry.

Connecticut does not require that there be any witnesses (although religious entities may require witnesses).

Recognition of Same-Sex Marriages

Same-sex marriages are recognized by the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York. California recognized same-sex marriage, but withdrew recognition with a 2008 referendum, so the situation there is unclear. In New Hampshire and New Jersey same-sex marriages are regarded the same as civil unions. In other states, same-sex marriages are recognized for certain purposes and not for others. Many states refuse to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples, but private companies in those states may recognize same-sex marriages. The federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), passed in 1996, defines marriage as only between a man and a woman for all federal purposes. DOMA prevents same-sex married couples from having access to the 1138 federal provisions that pertain to marriage.

Same-Sex Marriage and Civil Unions

After October 1, 2010, all Connecticut civil unions were converted into marriages by operation of law.

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SOURCE: Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders: A Brief Q&A About Marriage For Same-Sex Couples in Connecticut
PREPARED BY: 211/rj
CONTENT LAST REVIEWED: January2013