Joseph Grabarz watched the Pride flag raised over the state Capitol in Hartford on Monday, more than three decades after he came out as Connecticut’s first openly gay lawmaker and helped pass its first, if limited, gay rights law in April 1991.
Treasurer Erick Russell, the first gay Black man elected to statewide office in the state, praised Grabarz and others who made incremental gains that eventually included a civil union law, followed by same-sex marriage.
“We have led the way, frankly, on LGBTQ issues all across the country. And we’ve done so by leading with our values,” Russell said. “We created a state and communities all across this state that are open and welcoming and accepted.”
Grabarz was a Democratic state representative from Bridgeport when he came out in December 1990 after yet another failure to pass a law protecting people against discrimination in housing and employment based on sexual orientation.
In an earlier debate, a Republican lawmaker had questioned the need for the legislation, saying he had never met a gay person. With Grabarz as the lead sponsor, the anti-discrimination measure passed by comfortable margins and was signed by Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr.
Discrimination against the LGBT community has hardly disappeared, Grabarz said.
“The difference is in Connecticut, we’ve done something about it,” Grabarz said. “In Connecticut, we don’t allow that to exist. In Connecticut, we have an executive branch that’s vigilant. In Connecticut, we have a legislature in which we are a part of it. In Connecticut, we have a Supreme Court in which we are a part of it, and which bends towards justice in the long run.”
Connecticut passed a civil unions law in 2005 providing the rights of marriage to same-sex couples in nearly every way but the name. It was signed by a Republican governor, M. Jodi Rell.
Three years later, Rell signed a law codifying a state Supreme Court decision that same-sex couples had the right to marriage, not just a civil union.
The first same-sex couple to be married after legalization was Beth Bye of West Hartford, who served in the House and Senate, and Tracey Wilson, a historian who studies human rights. They attended the flag raising Monday.
“She reminded me to remind all of us that no matter the progress, we cannot take any of it for granted. We fought so hard for these rights, but we can’t take them for granted,” said Bye, now the commissioner of the Office of Early Childhood.
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said the flag raising was a gesture, not action.
“But we believe that it sends a very important message to the LGBTQ+ community in Connecticut — that you are seen and heard, that you are loved, and that we will not stop fighting to protect and promote LGBTQ+ rights here in Connecticut,” Bysiewicz said.
Bysiewicz and Russell were joined by a third statewide official, Comptroller Sean Scanlon. All three and Gov. Ned Lamont were among the officials to march Saturday in a Pride parade in Middletown that drew thousands.
Lamont and the others were to attend a fundraiser Monday night in Greenwich for President Joe Biden, who issued a statement of support for Pride Month and the LGBTQ+ community.
In a Tweet, Biden said “To the entire LGBTQI+ community — especially young trans Americans — know that your president and my entire administration have your back. We see you for who you are: made in the image of God and deserving of dignity, respect and support.”