Another Blue State Takes On a Rainbow Hue

They might want to start packing up in San Francisco, Laguna Beach and the other big gay hangouts on the West Coast - the northeastern U.S. is where the action is. You can now add Connecticut to the list which includes Massachusetts and Vermont:

Connecticut on Wednesday became the second state to recognize same-sex civil unions, and the first to do so without court pressure.

About an hour after the state Senate sent the legislation to her desk, Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed a bill that will allow thousands of gay and lesbian couples in Connecticut to be given the same rights and obligations as heterosexual couples, but not an actual marriage license.

"The vote we cast today will reverberate around the country," said Sen. Andrew McDonald (search), co-chairman of the legislature's Judiciary Committee, and one of a few openly gay state lawmakers.

By the way, Governor Rell is a Republican.