It’s official.

The Vermont House votes 100-49 to override the governor’s veto of the gay marriage bill.

Gay marriage is coming to Vermont.

UPDATE:

Here’s a statement from Peter Shumlin, President Pro Tem of the Senate. Boy, he didn’t waste any time in getting this out:

“Today Vermont legislators did the right thing by overriding Governor Douglas’ veto and granting equal rights to all Vermonters. The struggle for equal rights is never easy.  I was proud to be President of the Senate nine years ago when Vermont led the country by creating civil unions.  Today is another historic day for Vermont and I have never felt more proud as we become the first state in the country to enact marriage equality not as the result of a court order, but because it is the right
thing to do.”

“Many thanks to all the Vermonters who participated in this debate, Vermont Freedom to Marry, MassEquality, the Human Rights Campaign, and everyone who helped make today’s victory possible.”

This article appears in Apr 8-14, 2009.

Got something to say?

Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!

Seven Days’ deputy publisher and co-owner Cathy Resmer is a writer, editor and advocate for local journalism. She works in the paper’s Burlington office and lives vicariously through the reporters while raising money to pay them. Cathy started at...

8 replies on “Gay Marriage Comes to Vermont”

  2. A thank you to all the lawmakers who were up into the wee hours last night trying to make this happen! We owe them our gratitude!

  4. I’m proud to be a native Vermonter, and especaially proud of our lawmakers today. Thanks for the great coverage.

  6. Oh! Gay Tears! It feels like the inauguration all over again- you can actually feel Vermont buzzing…!

  7. What a HUGE “Yes We Can” moment in the Civil Rights movement! I’m overjoyed, and very, very proud of our legislators for standing up and being counted WHEN it counted.The arc of the moral universe bends towards justice. But sometimes it needs a push.

  8. And a unanimous vote by the D.C. city council today legally recognizes same-sex marriages from Vermont, Iowa, Massachusetts or Connecticut in the nation’s capital. At least until Congress gets their hands on the issue…

Comments are closed.