Vermont Goes Gay

Gay marriage bill is passed in Vermont.

Vermont's Senate has passed a 2009 bill S-115 (An Act to Protect Religious Freedom and Promote Equality in Civil Marriage) by a vote of 26-4, paving the way for gay marriages to be performed and legally recognised in the state of Vermont and will be effective September 1, 2009.

It goes to the full House, where it is expected to pass, although supporters do not believe they have enough votes to override a veto, if Douglas where to veto it. Gov. Douglas has let bills become law without his signature.

It is good to see state legislators with vision and courage.

Source(s): shewired.com, Modern Pharisee blog


Postscript:
29/3/09

Gov. Jim Douglas has since said that he will veto the gay-marriage legislation proposal if it passes the Legislature. This will be the first time he has signaled such an intent before final legislative action on a bill.

It seems that Gov. Jim Douglas is not as progressive as the majority of his colleagues in the Vermont Legislature. The Vermont Legislature and Gov. Jim Douglas have not heard the last of this issue. Pressure will be brought to bare until this legislation has been signed into law.

7/4/09

Governor Vetoes Gay Marriage Bill In Vermont

As promised, Jim Douglas, Governor of Vermont, has vetoed legislation that would allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in the state.

In his veto message to the Senate, Douglas wrote that he didn’t think that the proposed change would provide any additional rights to same-sex couples and that the state’s current civil unions provisions were adequate.

8/4/09

Woohoo ! Lets celebrate! Vermont's House and Senate voted Tuesday to override the governor's veto of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the state.

The Senate voted 23-5 to override Gov. Jim Douglas' veto, according to the Senate office. Shortly afterward, the House overrode the veto on a 100-49 vote. The votes surpassed the number needed -- two-thirds of those present -- to override the veto.

The action makes Vermont the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriages. The others are Massachusetts, Connecticut and, as of last week, Iowa.

Source(s): The Sacramento Bee online news source, sacbee.com, article on samesame.com.au and CNN article

Also read this related blog article http://mainstreampoliticsreturnslordvoo.blogspot.com/2009/09/ben-jerrys-celebrates-gay-marriage-in.html

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