Connecticut voters back court’s gay marriage decision
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.
