If we are sitting on all this wealth, why are we so poor?  _{Maurice Carney}

“If a man with a family wants a nice, quiet place to swim on Long Island Sound, he’d better buy a cottage on the shore.” ¹

Our Connecticut Beaches Exhibit at UConn Law Library shines a light on the obstacles in-and out-of-towners face just to have access to the beaches that border the Long Island Sound. The exhibit notes the efforts by many to open access to the beaches.

Hartford activist Ned Coll began his struggle to open beaches to all residents in the 1970s bringing children from Hartford to see the beach and sound which, for many, was the first time.  Andrew Kahrl's book, Free the Beach, available at UConn Law Library, documents Coll's crusade to open access to Connecticut's coast.  In 1995, Brenden Leydon sued the Town of Greenwich challenging their coding laws regarding access to their town beach. The Connecticut Supreme Court ultimately presided over this case where  Leydon v. Town of Greenwich relied on the First Amendment to the United States Constitution as well as the free speech clauses of the Connecticut Constitution. The Court held that the Greenwich Point Park was a “public forum” which must be open to “expressive activity” of any kind — and that to limit the park to non-residents would prevent them from exercising those rights.

The issue of coastal access reverberates today. As recently as 2023, the Connecticut legislature introduced Raised Bill 6650, in part, “To ensure that the development, preservation or use of the land and water resources of the coastal area proceeds in a manner consistent with the rights of private property owners and the capability of the land and water resources to support development, preservation or use without significantly disrupting either the natural environment or sound economic growth.”

Zoning and excessive non-resident fees are also part of the challenge. Non-residents and out-of-state visitors are dissuaded from coming to the beaches due to extremely high seasonal pass rates. One town beach charges a daily fee of $45 for non-residents weekday, $70 weekend, or $545 for the season. Residents pay $60 for a season pass.

On top of this, all beachgoers have strict restrictions on what is allowed on the beach: no dogs, no drinks, no floaties, no sports, among other items. This is done to avoid, as one town termed, the “Jerseyfication” of their beaches, meaning they did not want the character of their beaches and towns disrupted with the threat of “honky-tonk style” venues opening in their towns.

The reality, however, is that while their beaches aren’t being turned into such places, they also aren’t being fully enjoyed by all of Connecticut. New Journal author Paola Santos summarizes that in her article reflecting on beaches in her home state of California, “[i]n essence, too many public beaches in Connecticut have become country clubs.” Despite many attempts to change the situation over the years, little has changed.

This leaves us with a vital question: who really owns the beach? Visit our exhibit and decide for yourself.

Looking for a summer read before returning for Fall semester? Did you know that the law library has popular reading materials available for check out to law students?   

The reading lounge collection located right by the access services desk features entertainment and leisure reading. Examples include literary fiction, pop culture, and popular legal titles.  

A recent perusal found such titles as The Partner Track, now a limited series on Netflix.  Read here how this book made the transition to a Netflix Series.

A quick scan resulted in titles such Hillbilly Elegy, and Maid also adapted to film on Netflix! (can we pick them, or can we pick them?)  

Also available are the timeless  Harry Potter series and a variety of titles by John Grisham. No matter what your preference is, you are bound to something to read for pleasure before the semester begins.  

Current students can borrow circulating items for 90 days and items can be renewed once.  Plenty of time to read your summer book AND check it out on Netflix before the semester returns! Enjoy!

June is LGBTQI+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex) Pride Month! Originally celebrated as Gay Pride Day on the last Sunday in June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City, Pride Month gradually became a month-long event.

The Stonewall site was declared a National Monument by Presidential Proclamation. The Stonewall uprising is regarded by many as the most important catalyst for the dramatic expansion of the movement to outlaw discriminatory laws and practices against LGBTQI+ Americans.

A  Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month, 2023 was issued by President Biden to launch Pride month, “calling upon the people of the United States to recognize the achievements of the LGBTQI+ community, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people…”

Today, LGBTQ Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world and has grown to a month-long series of events such as parades, picnics, parties and concerts, including some great events to check out right here in Connecticut:  https://www.ctvisit.com/articles/pride-month-celebrations-2023

Many legal changes for the LGBTQI+ community have been made since the police raided the Stonewall Inn nearly fifty years ago. However, continuing LGBTQ+ civil and equality rights issues remain relevant today.  HeinOnline features a LGBTQ+ Rights database.  This collection charts the gay rights movement in America, showing the civil rights codified into law in the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as the inequalities that still exist today.  To learn more about the newest database check out HeinOnline’s blog here and for additional research, check out UConn Law’s Research Guide, Sexuality, Gender Identity and the Law.