The Republican-American No residency requirement for same-sex couples to wed in Connecticut

The Republican-American No residency requirement for same-sex couples to wed in Connecticut

BY PAUL HUGHES REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
HARTFORD -- Same-sex couples won't have to live in Connecticut to wed once gay marriage becomes officially legal here. And they won't have to wait.

Spouses-to-be will need only to complete a marriage license application, provide identification and make a sworn statement that the information that they provide is true.

There is no residency requirement under the state's marriage laws, and Connecticut doesn't impose a waiting period, as two dozen other states do.

In a landmark decision, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday that gay and lesbian couples have a legal right to marry. The only other states that allow same-sex marriage are Massachusetts and California.

"People are just so excited. We're getting lots of people talking about where they were when they heard the decision," said Anne Stanback, executive director of Love Makes A Family, a gay rights advocacy group that supports same-sex marriage.

Gay and lesbian couples are also inundating Love Makes A Family with questions about when the marriage ruling takes effect, she said.

Staff from Love Makes A Family and Boston-based Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, GLAD, are working on the answers.

The gay marriage decision becomes official on Oct. 28. The trial court must then enter the Supreme Court's order before same-sex couples can marry here, however. This is expected to take 10 days or slightly longer.

Once this bit of legal housekeeping is wrapped up, same-sex couples won't have to wait longer than it takes to get a marriage license to wed here.

Depending on the town or city, a marriage license can often be obtained the same day.

Same-sex couples from out of state will have to apply for a marriage license in the town or city where they are going to marry. Couples from Connecticut may apply in the community where they reside.

A couple must appear individually or together in the municipal clerk's office to sign the marriage license. There is a $30 fee due at the time of application. A marriage license is valid for 65 days.

Most other states won't recognize same-sex marriages from Connecticut. The federal Defense of Marriage Act says states don't have to recognize same-sex marriages from other states.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 41 states have enacted legislation prohibiting same-sex marriages or the recognition of same-sex marriages formed elsewhere.