Congratulations to Vermont for Legalizing Gay Marriage

Thanks to these sponsors of Vermont Bill H.178
Introduced by Representatives
Larson of Burlington, Zuckerman of
Burlington, Ancel of Calais, Bohi of Hartford, Botzow of
Pownal, Burke of Brattleboro, Cheney of Norwich, Clarkson of
Woodstock, Copeland-Hanzas of Bradford, Davis of
Washington, Deen of Westminster, Donovan of Burlington,
Edwards of Brattleboro, Fisher of Lincoln, Frank of Underhill,
French of Shrewsbury, French of Randolph, Geier of S.
Burlington, Grad of Moretown, Haas of Rochester, Head of S.
Burlington, Heath of Westford, Hooper of Montpelier, Howard
of Rutland City, Jerman of Essex, Jewett of Ripton, Johnson of
S. Hero, Kitzmiller of Montpelier, Klein of East Montpelier,
Lanpher of Vergennes, Lenes of Shelburne, Lippert of
Hinesburg, Lorber of Burlington, Maier of Middlebury, Marek
of Newfane, Martin of Springfield, McCullough of Williston,
Milkey of Brattleboro, Minter of Waterbury, Mitchell of
Barnard, Moran of Wardsboro, Mrowicki of Putney, Nuovo of
Middlebury, O’Brien of Richmond, Orr of Charlotte, Partridge
of Windham, Pugh of S. Burlington, Ram of Burlington, Shand
of Weathersfield, Sharpe of Bristol, Spengler of Colchester,
Stevens of Waterbury, Sweaney of Windsor, Waite-Simpson of
Essex, Webb of Shelburne, Weston 1 of Burlington, Wilson of
Manchester, Wizowaty of Burlington and Zenie of Colchester
who proved that Americans seeking equal rights can have their
rights affirmed by democratically elected legislators rather than exclusively through the courts

Vermont becomes 4th state to allow gay marriage
Reuters

By Jason Szep Jason Szep – Tue Apr 7, 1:25 pm ET



BOSTON (Reuters) – Vermont legalized gay marriage on Tuesday after lawmakers overrode a veto from the governor by a wafer-thin margin, making the New England state the fourth in the United States where gays can wed.

The vote, nine years after Vermont was the first in the United States to adopt a same-sex civil-union law, also makes the tiny state of 624,000 people the first in the nation where lawmakers passed a gay marriage law instead of the courts.

"We've shown that truth and fairness and justice and love are more powerful than one man's veto pen," same-sex marriage advocate Beth Robinson said to cheers from supporters in the state capital Montpelier after Vermont's House of Representatives passed the bill by a 100-49 vote.

Known for picturesque autumn foliage, maple sugar and colonial-style inns, Vermont joins New England neighbors Connecticut and Massachusetts in allowing gay couples to marry. Iowa legalized gay marriage last week.

The bill looked in peril after a vote on Thursday in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives that fell five votes short of the support needed to clear a veto threat from Republican Governor Jim Douglas.

Douglas vetoed the bill on Monday, urging lawmakers to focus on the economy instead. Supporters needed two-thirds of the votes in each chamber to override his veto. They got that easily in the state Senate, which passed the bill 23-5 earlier on Tuesday. Its fate in the House looked unclear.

The vote comes just four days after Iowa's Supreme Court struck down a decade-old law that barred gays from marrying. The surprise ruling, which made Iowa the first in the heartland to allow same-sex marriages, may have influenced some Vermont lawmakers to change their vote, gay marriage advocates said.

California briefly recognized gay marriage until voters banned it in a referendum last year.

Lawmakers in New Hampshire and Maine also are considering bills to allow gay marriage, putting New England at the heart of a divisive national debate over the issue.

The group Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, which helped to legalize gay marriage in Massachusetts and Connecticut, has set a goal of expanding gay marriage to all New England states by 2012. Maine and New Hampshire already offer same-sex couples some form of legal recognition.

Forty-three U.S. states have laws explicitly prohibiting such marriages, including 29 with constitutional amendments restricting marriage to one man and one woman.

(Reporting by Jason Szep; Editing by Will Dunham)