Vermont Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage

After the shocking news that the Iowa Supreme Court had legalized same-sex marriage, it came as a slight surprise that another state furthered its gay rights by also legalizing same-sex marriage. This time it’s Vermont. As a Vermont resident, I couldn’t be happier. And again, it’s a little shocking to me, as I wasn’t sure such a measure would pass. Vermont is a heavily left-leaning state, but it has a Republican Governor, Jim Douglas (mostly because the Democrats and Progressives fight for the left-leaning vote… but that’s a story for another day). Many were afraid that the measure would not pass with enough votes, and thus lead to a veto by Douglas. But the Vermont House had exactly enough votes, so there it is.

I hadn’t been following the local news there, for a number of reasons. But suffice it to say it was a greatly positive surprise for me. Vermont now becomes the very first state to legalize same-sex marriage through the legislature. The other states that did so, did it through the courts. It’s extremely doubtful that anything such as a Prop 8. fiasco will happen here. Unless the Federal Government bans same-sex marriage, Vermont’s same-sex marriage law is here to stay.

Vermont was the first state to allow civil unions. That was back in 2000. So Vermonters have had some time to live with such a law in place. And no, the world didn’t end, and the state didn’t dissolve into a vacuum of sin. Life went on as it had beforehand, with the caveat that more people had rights afforded to them. It’s doubtful that anything will really change from here on out. Most Vermonters (as far as I know) support some kind of same-sex unions, whether they be “civil unions” or full-on marriages, and a nice chunk who don’t outright support it are pretty apathetic. “Live and let live,” for the most part.

This is a huge accomplishment for the gay rights movement, and I couldn’t be happier.