In a single year, the number of same-sex marriages in Connecticut increased by 32%.
Vital records from the Connecticut Department of Public Health show that 989 same-sex couples married in 2024, compared to 749 a year earlier. The state-level increase is four times the national increase of 8%, according to estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Some say the increase in same-sex marriages in Connecticut could be due to fears that laws allowing it might change during the Trump presidency.
Last year, the number of same-sex marriages remained high, as 885 same-sex couples tied the knot. The only other sharp increase in the past decade was in 2022, after the coronavirus pandemic.
The 2024 increase coincides with declining nationwide support for LGBTQ issues. A Gallup poll conducted in May found that 65% of U.S. adults believed same-sex marriage should be recognized, a decrease from 71% in 2023.
Under the second Trump administration, the federal government has restricted gender-affirming care for transgender youth, banned transgender individuals from serving in the military and only recognizes a person’s sex assigned at birth.
William Ollayos, a fellow at the state-run LGBTQ+ Justice and Opportunity Network and a student at the Quinnipiac School of Law, said the legal uncertainty surrounding the LGBTQ community prompted discussions with his partner about marrying sooner.
It’s not how he’d usually make personal decisions, but he said marriage was a practical choice. He knows a lesbian couple who married eight months earlier than planned to secure legal recognition.
“I am not yet a lawyer, but my understanding is that if the national legal landscape around marriage equality ever changed, couples who are already married could be in a stronger practical position than couples trying to marry after that change,” Ollayos said.
Connecticut became the second state to legalize same-sex marriage in 2008. Earlier this month, an annual report by Out Leadership ranked Connecticut the third-most welcoming state for LGBTQ people, after Massachusetts and New York. Connecticut has stayed in the top three since 2021.
The reports attribute the state’s high score to its comprehensive anti-discrimination policies, equal treatment of children of same-sex couples and protection of access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
“It doesn’t surprise me that same-sex marriages would increase in Connecticut,” said Leon Davidoff, West Hartford’s town clerk. “Whatever demographic you want to classify people by, I think Connecticut’s one of the more welcoming places.”
