Vermont Judiciary Passes Same-Sex Marriage Bill
Bill Moves to the State Senate for Vote
Mar 20, 2009
The legislation, Act Relating to Civil Marriage, passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee, will now move onto the Senate for approval. It was introduced by Senators Shumlin, Campbell and Ayer, and will legalize marriage for same-sex couples in Vermont, effective September 1, 2009.
Testimony was heard on Monday afternoon, with approximately 200 individuals present. The crowd was predominately against marriage equality. On Wednesday evening, however, the tone changed. A gathering of 1000, mostly for marriage equality, overflowed the House chambers and spilled into other rooms to listen to the three-hour hearing. Ultimately, 70 individuals stated their case for and against marriage equality. Over 200 signed up to speak.
Governor Jim Douglas Opposes Marriage Equality
While the House and Senate have a Democratic majority, indicating the bill will pass easily, there is one obstacle: Vermont's Republican governor, Jim Douglas, has been vocally opposed to marriage equality. This creates an obstacle that the state did not have when Howard Dean was governor in 2000, and signed civil unions into law.
Governor Douglas will have the opportunity to either veto the bill or let it pass into law without his signature. If Douglas chooses to veto, he will not be the first governor to do so. Governor of California, Arnold Shwarzenegger, vetoed similar legislation in California on September 29, 2005. He has changed his position since then and now supports marriage.
Why This is the Right Moment for Marriage Equality
Regardless of Governor Douglas' position, the time seems right for marriage equality in Vermont. Large studies have been influential in this climate-shift, including the USA National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study (NLLFS), a 22-year study of lesbian parents and their children that was published in December 2008. Long-term studies like these are refuting a primary argument that religious conservatives make against same-sex marriage: that it is bad for children and families.
As a result, The Vermont Psychological Association, the Vermont Psychiatric Association, the Vermont Mental Health Counselor Association and the Vermont chapter of the National Association of Social Workers expressed their support of the Act Relating to Civil Marriage during their testimony on Monday.
The Burlington Free Press has followed suit. After a decade of opposing marriage equality, one of Vermont's largest papers published an editorial, entitled "The Time Has Come For Marriage Equality" on Monday, redacting its position:
"In the 1999 editorial...we went so far as to warn that becoming the only state to allow same-sex marriage would make Vermont a target hostile to the idea, solemnly predicting, 'there will be violence.' That prediction of course was pure nonsense...The world as we knew it hardly changed at all for the larger population, though it did for that portion seeking a measure of equality. The fact that civil unions are so unremarkable today is perhaps the best testimony to their acceptance."
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