Vermont First Again!

[feste_sylvain]

WCAX in Burlington (VT) has a nasty habit of rotating their stories out quickly, so I'm pasting the entire text behind the cut. But their original story is here, for as long as they leave it up.

Vermont Legalizes Gay Marriage

Montpelier, Vermont - April 7, 2009

Vt. House and Senate have voted to override the governor's veto of the same-sex marriage bill-- legalizing gay marriage in Vermont.

The Vt. Senate voted to override the governor's veto of the same-sex marriage bill. This morning, the Senate voted 23 to 5 to override that veto. Two senators were absent and Washington County Republican Bill Doyle who had initially supported same sex, this time voted to sustain the veto.

The Vt. House voted around 11 a.m. to override the veto. The vote was 100-49. 100 votes were needed. Rep. Sonny Audette of South Burlington did not vote. It wasn't clear whether he intended to vote to override. Audette opposed gay marriage but also opposed the governor's early announcement of a veto as "interference."

Vermont is now the fourth state to permit same-sex marriage, but the first to do so with a legislature's approval. Approval of gay marriage in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa came from the courts.

Tuesday's vote comes nine years after Vermont adopted its first-in-the-nation civil unions law.

Governor Jim Douglas, R-Vermont, promptly vetoed the bill when it was delivered to his desk last night-- as promised.

Remember, the original Vermont Supreme Court decision allowed for "separate but equal" civil unions, so that's what Vermont tried first. Finding "separate but equal" to be oxymoronic in this case as well as all others, the legislature overwhelmingly passed full marriage.