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Apr 7 2009, 11:22 am by Marc Ambinder

Legislature Legalizes Gay Marriage In Vermont

A great day for the gays and the federalists: for the first time, gay marriage has been legalized in a state through the formal legislative process. Vermont's House and Senate voted overwhelmingly to override Gov. Jim Douglas's veto of a gay marriage bill. On September 1, gays will be allowed to marry in Vermont. That brings to four the numbers of states where gay marriage is legal; Iowa's Supreme Court authorized same-sex unions on Friday; SSMs are also legal in Massachusetts (thanks to a court) and in Connecticut (court-ordered, too). Opponents of gay marriage have been fearing this very day for years. They're going to have to change the way they respond to the issue because they can no longer argue (only) that courts are imposing gay marriage by fiat. In the case of Vermont (and in the case of California, twice before), duly-elected state legislatures affirmatively gave consent to expand or revise the definition of civil marriage. (California's two legislative efforts were vetoed by the governor.)  Gay rights activists now have a new paradigm too.   More on this later.....

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Gaining the required two-thirds majority by the smallest possible margin, 100-49, Vermont’s House of Representatives voted to override Gov. Jim Douglas' veto of a bill (PDF) allowing gays and lesbians to marry, the Associated Press reports. The H... [Read More]

Tracked on April 7, 2009 8:53 PM

Comments (5)

BellevueDad

This is a great day in the history of civil marriage rights. I hope it is an inspiration to the other states that still have discriminatory access to equal marriage. Many, many, many people are proud of Vermont today.

Vermonter

To clarify...

Though the vote, 100 to 49, appears "overwhelming,"... 100 votes was the exact minimum amount of votes needed to override the Governor's veto.

Regardless, a proud day for this Vermonter.

Sighter (Replying to: Vermonter)

It may have been the exact minimum, but since the requirement was 2/3rds, it still counts as "overwhelming." The thrust of the 2/3rds requirement is to require a significant and impressive mandate for overturning a veto, and so I think calling the vote "overwhelming" is thoroughly appropriate.

Peter (Replying to: Vermonter)

Also the Senate vote of 25-3 was pretty overwhelming.

Philip Chandler

This is wonderful news! Furthermore, this issue is currently being considered by the state legislatures in Maine and New Hampshire, and it is likely that gay marriage will soon be legalized by these legislatures.


As additional states legalize gay marriage (and it is only a matter of time), so those who oppose gay marriage are going to find it increasingly difficult to claim that this issue is being "forced" on the people by the courts. Slowly, people are accepting the message that gay Americans are as entitled as heterosexual Americans to take their place in society as equals before the law.


My prediction is that the hard right will initially cast the people of Vermont (and other states that legislate in favor of gay marriage) as "victims" of the "gay agenda" -- unwitting dupes who have been brainwashed into acceptance. When this fails, watch for the right to recast these people as "Godless men and women" who have forgotten "the wisdom of the ages".


Watch for a dramatic resurgence of ugly stereotyping and defamation of gay persons as those who oppose marriage equality seek to influence the rest of the population. Now is the time for gay Americans to emphasize the similarities between gay Americans and heterosexual Americans. The more "out" the gay population becomes, the stronger it will become.


PHILIP CHANDLER