The establishment of LGBT rights in the U.S. state of Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

 is a recent phenomenon, with most advances in LGBT rights taking place in the 21st century. It is one of six states, along with the District of Columbia, that issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Recognition of same-sex relationships

Connecticut enacted a civil union law effective October 1, 2005, that provided same-sex couples with some of the same rights and responsibilities under state law as married couples.

On October 10, 2008, the Connecticut Supreme Court

Connecticut Supreme Court

The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit in Hartford, across the street from the Connecticut State Capitol...

 ruled in Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health

Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health

Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health, 289 Conn. 135, 957 A.2d 407, is a 2008 decision by the Connecticut Supreme Court holding that the Connecticut Constitution protects the right to same-sex marriage. The vote was 4-3. The decision made Connecticut the third state to have its state supreme...

that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry and said the state's civil union statute violated the equal protection clause of the state constitution. The decision came in a case brought in 2004 by the eight same-sex couples who were denied marriage licenses in Madison, Connecticut

Madison, Connecticut

Madison is a town in the southeastern corner of New Haven County, Connecticut, occupying a central location on Connecticut's Long Island Sound shoreline. The population was 18,812 at the 2000 census....

. The first same-sex marriages in Connecticut took place on November 12.

Connecticut has provided benefits to sames-sex partners of state employees since 2000.

Discrimination protection

Connecticut bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in public places, public and private employment, governmental services and in receiving goods and services from public places or governmental institutions.

Hate crimes

Gay and lesbian citizens are also protected under state law from hate crimes motivated by a person's sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.

Parenting

Connecticut allows adoption by single individuals and same-sex couples, married or not. Statutes say that the sexual orientation of a prospective adoptive parent may be considered in adoption decisions, but there is no evidence that an adoption has been denied on the basis of sexual orientation.