Welcome to Connecticut, the Gay Marriage State

Gay couples from all over saved the date -- Nov. 12, 2008, the day same-sex marriages became legal here -- and have been making the trek to this state ever since.

More than 17,000 same-sex couples have been married in the state since the law took effect, according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health vital statistics, which has tracked all births, marriages, civil unions, deaths and fetal deaths in Connecticut since July 1897. 

Renee Coppola, the registrar of vital statistics in New Haven, told the New Haven Register that 75 percent of the same-sex marriages performed are from out of state, some as far as Texas and Arizona.

Even though couples know their marriage won't be recognized at home, Coppola said, "they come and they feel that they're part of society like everyone else."

Greenwich has gained the nickname the "Marriage Capital of Connecticut."

One reason, Carol Buckheit, executive director of Love Makes a Family, told the Register, is that it's just a quick little trip from New York, which happens to be the only state to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.

Barbara Lowden, assistant registrar of vital statistics for Greenwich, told the newspaper that between November 2008 and August 2009, the town issued marriage licenses for 226 out-of-state same-sex couples and only 16 in-state same-sex couples.

Love Makes A Family, the non-profit group that worked to win the right for same-sex couples to marry, wants people to save the date for Nov. 12 this year too. They are  asking all married or engage same-sex couples in the state to head to the state Capitol on that date to celebrate.

Contact Us