Separate but not equal

MANIFESTO

In what was a surprisingly substantial vote,

The [Connecticut] Legislature's Judiciary Committee, after an emotional three-and-a-half-hour debate, voted Thursday to allow same-sex couples to marry.

Committee Co-Chair Rep. Michael P. Lawlor (D-East Haven) perhaps encapsulated this issue best:

"At the end of the day, the real public policy question for us is, if it's in our law that we treat gay and straight couples exactly the same under Connecticut law, why does it have to be under a different name?"

Needless to say, this bill has a long way to go. It still has to go through both houses and to Governor Clubwoman, who will no doubt veto it.

Nevertheless, I'm pleased that my state has seen fit to address this issue in the right way. I know I'm naive, but equal protection under the law seems like a rather simple concept.