People of all backgrounds joined together to celebrate at the Hartford Capital City Pride Rally on the lawn of the Old State House Friday.
A long fight was over.
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for same-sex marriage to be legal in all 50 states and struck down bans in 14 states.
“It’s such a momentous day after 15 years of doing this work here in Connecticut,” says Anne Stanback.
Stanback helped lead the charge for marriage equality in Connecticut.
She and others know how far the country has come.
“In Connecticut, a lot of people said this is impossible and later they said it was inevitable. It was neither impossible or inevitable. It took a lot of hard work,” says Stanback.
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This rally started 33-years ago.
People at the first event remember the fear back then.
“It was scary because there were so many people with signs of hatred,” say Julio Morales, Vernon.
The signs have changed; so have many people’s feelings about same-sex marriage, though not everyone’s.
“The U.S. Supreme Court got it wrong. There is nothing in the U.S. Constitution that requires them to impose same-sex marriage on all 50 states. I think that puts more work on all of us who have fought for traditional marriage,” says Peter Wolfgang, executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut.
People at the rally say their mission for equality and justice is not over.
They say the LGBT community still needs more protection from hatred.
“Employers can still deny jobs, landlords can still evict, and restaurants can still kick people out simply because they are gay. And now my mission and priority will be to stop that kind of discrimination,” says Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut.
