It has been a bittersweet month for Stephen Davis. On Election Day, the Columbia University Libraries employee of nearly 20 years and Connecticut resident gained the right to marry his long-time partner Jeffrey Busch, but Davis’ sister, a California resident, lost hers.
Davis and Busch were plaintiffs in a recently decided suit brought by the group Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders—a New England-based civil rights group instrumental in the success of the 2003 legalization of gay marriage in Massachusetts—the couple was part of the first group of same-sex partners to be allowed to marry under Connecticut state law.
But soon after that landmark decision, California voters passed Proposition 8—a ballot measure that amended the state’s constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman—demonstrating to Davis that while he may have won his own personal battle, hurdles remain in the fight for LGBT civil rights.
Davis and Busch were inspired to take action after a run-in with a disgruntled border patrol officer, who detained the couple and questioned them on their relationship to their 6 year-old son, Elijah.
“Married people are never asked those questions,” Davis said.
On Nov. 12, Connecticut ruled in favor of the GLAD plaintiffs, legalizing same-sex marriage in the state.
Though Connecticut ruled in favor of same-sex partners, other states took action to bar same-sex couples from rights enjoyed by opposite-sex ones. California, Arizona, and Florida cemented the illegality of gay marriage in their state constitutions, while in Arkansas homosexuals are no longer permitted to adopt children.
Davis, while disillusioned by recent state action against LGBT rights, said he wants to remain optimistic as Prop 8 continues to be reviewed and the definition of marriage continues to be debated.
In an interview with the Connecticut Law Tribune, Busch said that marriage “is so much more than a word.”
“The fact is, marriage defines what makes us equal,” Davis said, arguing that he believed other rights, like equality in employment and the acceptance of gays in the military, would follow.
Davis and Busch’s wedding won’t take place until April, and even with the chaos caused by preparations, there is time for reflection.
“Growing up, especially for gay and lesbian kids, is very difficult,” Davis said. Despite national setbacks, he could only see progress in the fact that “kids can turn on CNN and see us. It gives them a whole new life of possibility.”
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