HARTFORD, CT — Connecticut on October 10th became the third U.S. state — behind Massachusetts and California — to allow gay marriage when the state’s Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that civil unions provided sufficient equality for same-sex couples.“Interpreting our state constitutional provisions in accordance with firmly established equal protection principles leads inevitably to the conclusion that gay persons are entitled to marry the otherwise qualified same-sex partner of their choice,” Justice Richard N. Palmer wrote in the majority opinion. “To decide otherwise would require us to apply one set of constitutional principles to gay persons and another to all others.”

The 4-3 decision came just weeks before Californians will head to the polls to answer an historic ballot question about their state’s gay marriage law. The only surprising thing about the Connecticut justices’ decision was that it was a close vote: The state was the first to pass laws affirming and protecting gay civil unions.

Connecticut Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell, who signed the civil unions bill into law in 2005, said she disagreed with the ruling but she will not challenge it.

“I continue to believe that marriage is the union of a man and a woman,” she said in a prepared statement after the justices delivered their ruling. But “the Supreme Court has spoken. I do not believe their voice reflects the majority of the people of Connecticut. However, I am also firmly convinced that attempts to reverse this decision — either legislatively or by amending the state constitution — will not meet with success. I will therefore abide by the ruling.”

The Democrat-led legislature, however, was a bit more pleased.

“This historic ruling will provide additional security and protections to thousands of loving, committed same-sex couples and their children living in Connecticut,” Senate President Pro Tem Donald E. Williams Jr., [D-Brooklyn] said. “The plaintiffs, advocates and above all the people of Connecticut should celebrate this civil rights victory. We look forward do implementing the Supreme Court’s decision in a bi-partisan manner.”

Right-wing “family values” groups, however, were outraged by the decision.

“Even the legislature, as liberal as ours, decided that marriage is between a man and a woman,” Family Institute of Connecticut Executive Director Peter Wolfgang told The Associated Press. “This is about our right to govern ourselves. It is bigger than gay marriage.”

The state’s civil union law was precipitated by the same case on which the Supreme Court ruled. In 2004, eight same-sex couples sued Connecticut claiming their constitutional rights to equal protection and due process were violated when they were denied marriage licenses.

Several of the couples reacted joyously to the news of the court’s decision.

“I can’t believe it,” Janet Peck of Colchester, who was a plaintiff with her partner, Carole Conklin, told the AP. “We’re thrilled, we’re absolutely overjoyed. We’re finally going to be able, after 33 years, to get married.

“We’ve always dreamed of being married. Even though we were lesbians and didn’t know if that would ever come true, we always dreamed of it.”