A group that advocated for gay marriage in Connecticut has decided to close shop at the end of this year.

The lobby group Love Makes a Family played a major role in the state's gay marriage debate. A right secured last year when the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled in favor of proponents. Leaders say they want to end their lobbying on a high note.

“With GLAD's victory in the Kerrigan Supreme Court decision and with the knowledge that same-sex couples' right to marry is secure, we can officially close our doors at the end of the year,” said Executive Director Anne Stanback in a statement.

A 2003 gay marriage ruling in Massachusetts, the only other state where the practice is legal, gave rise to a divisive effort to overturn the ruling by placing a gay marriage ban in the state's constitution. Eventually it failed and the state will celebrate five years of gay nuptials in May.

Opposition in Connecticut, however, has remained low key. Lawmakers who disagree with the decision have pledged to abide by it.

Other states that have ruled on gay marriage include Vermont, where lawmakers approved civil unions for gay and lesbian couples in 2000 (and appear likely to green light marriage this legislative session), and Hawaii and California, where voter initiatives reversed gay victories. A forthcoming decision in Iowa is expected to launch a heated debate on the issue.

Love Makes a Family was formed in Hartford, the state's Capital, a decade ago to lobby in favor of legislation that allows gay and lesbian couples to legally adopt in Connecticut. It later grew to become a leading voice in the gay marriage debate.