Uniform Parentage Act Testimony (2021)

Good Morning Chair Winfield, Chair Stafsrom, Ranking Members Kissel & Fishbein, and Members of the Judiciary Committee:

Thank you for the opportunity to testify in favor of House Bill 6321: An Act Concerning the Adoption and Implementation of the Connecticut Parentage Act. My name is John Board, and I currently serve as the Chair of New Britain Pride — the City of New Britain’s LGBTQ+ outreach organization.

Connecticut has been a leader in the LGBTQ+ arena for decades. Our state has been at the forefront of several major steps forward for our community — most notably becoming the second state in the nation to recognize marriage equality. Today, you once again have another opportunity to help secure rights for LGBTQ+ families.

Connecticut is the only New England state without protections for unmarried non-biological parents and their children. With the passage of the Connecticut Parentage Act, we — as a state — will finally ensure equal access to legal parentage for every child no matter whether these parents are unmarried, same-sex, or nonbiological to the child.

Thank you to Representative Currey, Senator Kasser, Representative Klarides-Ditria, and all the co-sponsors of this bill. I urge this committee and the Assembly to vote yes on this vital piece of legislation. With that — I am prepared to answer any questions which the committee may have. Thank you.

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Testimony as prepared for the Judiciary Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly on House Bill 6321: An Act Concerning the Adoption and Implementation of the Connecticut Parentage Act. Date: Monday, March 8, 2021.