Same-sex couples in Connecticut seek civil unions

HARTFORD, Conn. – After receiving their civil union license Saturday, Lidia Agramonte and Maria Gomez had all the same rights as a married couple in Connecticut. But they couldn’t find words to describe their union.

“The hardest thing is, what do you call yourself, civilized?” said Agramonte, 47, a social worker from New Britain. “There are no words for it yet.”

The women were the first in line during special weekend hours at Hartford City Hall and city halls in several other towns as a new law allowing same-sex civil unions took effect.

Connecticut became the first state to legalize civil unions without being forced by the courts after lawmakers passed a law endorsing the unions in April. Massachusetts allows gay marriages and Vermont recognizes civil unions because of lawsuits.

The law affords all the legal rights of marriage – such as spousal health care benefits – to same-sex couples, but defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Heterosexual couples cannot get civil unions. The license application is identical to one for marriage, except “bride” and “groom” are replaced with “party 1” and “party 2.”