Happy First (Gay) Wedding Anniversary!
By AMANDA RAUS
Updated 6:01 PM EDT, Thu, Nov 12, 2009
Dozens of same-sex couples lined the stairs of the Capitol in Hartford for a photo celebrating the first anniversary of a landmark decision, one that allows same-sex couples to get married in the nutmeg state.
“I think this was a really momentous event that happened in Connecticut and we wanted to celebrate marriage equality,” said Maureen Murphy of Hartford.
“Especially in light of what just happened in Maine, it’s obviously affecting all of us and it’s nice to have a happy celebration in Connecticut,” said Meghan Freed, Murphy’s wife.
According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, more than 1,700 couples tied the knot from that day in November through June of this past summer. About half of those couples came from out-of-state. Four friends from Long Island took two trips up to Connecticut to make sure they could say their wedding vows.
“We came from Long Island and it’s not legal in our state to be married there, but we decided to come to Connecticut because they had enacted the law, and we just did it on the spur of the moment,” said Margie Luciano of Long Island, N.Y.
Even couples in Connecticut waited years to say, “I do.” James Hanley and Norman Garrick of Storrs wasted no time in getting hitched. November 12, 2009, marks their first wedding anniversary.
“We met in 1988 at the first gay and lesbian film festival, so we had been together for 20 years when we finally got the chance to get married,” said Hanley.
They were surprised just how many people were celebrating with them.
“I think that was the most amazing thing for us, the story was in the newspaper the next day and we got so many cards, greetings and well wishes. I was really overwhelmed with it,” said Garrick.
The next step for same-sex couples, they say, is getting their marriages recognized on the federal level.
First Published: Nov 12, 2009 5:09 PM EDT
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