Vermont House Passes Same-Sex Marriage Bill

The Vermont House of Representatives approved a bill legalizing gay marriage Thursday, a divisive measure that now faces a veto from the governor.

The house voted 95-52 in favor of the bill, which had already cleared the state Senate in a 26-4 vote. The governor says he now plans to veto it.

Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas is hugged by opponents of the gay-marriage bill in Montpelier Thursday. Douglas has threatened to veto the measure.

Supporters of the bill would need additional votes in the house to override the veto, which requires two-thirds majorities in both chambers of the legislature. If they succeed, Vermont would become the third state in the country, after Connecticut and Massachusetts, to allow same-sex couples to marry. California briefly recognized gay marriage until voters banned it in a referendum last year.

With lawmakers in New Hampshire and Maine also considering bills that would allow gay marriage, the battle over the issue has once again migrated to New England, where it started. It could set the stage for a broader federal debate.

The Defense of Marriage Act says that under federal law only a marriage between a man and a woman is recognized. President Barack Obama has said he wants to repeal the 1996 law. That could give same-sex couples in states that recognize gay marriage or civil unions access to federal benefits, such as Social Security payments in the event of the death of one of the partners.

Opponents of gay marriage say the legislative efforts in Vermont and elsewhere in New England are part of a lobbying campaign to hasten the demise of the Defense of Marriage Act.

"They are trying to provide new reasons for the repeal," says Maggie Gallagher, president of the conservative National Organization for Marriage.

Gay-marriage supporters in Vermont say they are completing a process that began in 2000 when the state became the first in the country to allow full civil unions for same-sex couples. Since then, four other states, including California and New Jersey, did the same, meaning that at the state level a same-sex couple is treated like a married couple in almost all regards but name. Four other states give gay couples some of the rights enjoyed by married couples, according to Family Equality Council, a gay-rights group.

After Massachusetts, Connecticut and Quebec allowed gay marriage, the mood brightened for advocates in Vermont. "People here have seen what it looks like and realized it doesn't harm anybody," said Shap Smith, speaker of Vermont's House of Representatives.

Still the issue remains divisive. A poll cited by a group called Vermont Freedom to Marry says 55% of Vermonters support gay marriage while 38% oppose and 7% are undecided.

The battle began in 1997 when a man named Stan Baker and his partner teamed up with a lesbian couple in a bid to get the state of Vermont to recognize same-sex relationships. The state's Supreme Court ruled in their favor in 1999, and the legislature authorized civil unions a year later, stopping short of approving full marriage. Mr. Baker says he had to accept the compromise even though it amounted to "separate but equal" treatment for gay couples.

The issue remains highly charged. Last week, Vermont Gov. James Douglas said he will veto the gay-marriage bill if it reached his desk. He called on lawmakers to focus on the economy instead.


Update: Iowa Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage!
In a unanimous decision, Iowa's Supreme Court ruled that the state cannot prohibit same-sex couples from seeking marriage licenses. "On our review, we hold the Iowa marriage statute violates the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution," the court held. "A statute inconsistent with the Iowa Constitution must be declared void, even though it may be supported by strong and deep-seated traditional beliefs and popular opinion."

Iowa becomes the third state to allow gay marriage, following Massachusetts and Connecticut.

That's a good look, Iowians. We are a proponent of equal rights for all, too.


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