Is Vermont Ready for Gay Marriage?

Is another New England state looking to do the right thing and legalize gay marriage?

Eight years ago, Vermont became a leader in gay rights as it was the first state in the U.S. to recognize same-sex civil unions.

Earlier this year, the Vermont Commission on Family Recognition and Protection released a report based on eight separate hearings held in the state which urges the Vermont legislature to “take seriously the difference between civil marriage and civil union,” and that “providing statutory access to marriage would be a clearer and more direct statement of full equality by the state a statement of full inclusion of its gay and lesbian residents.”

The commission who released the report was created by the Vermont legislature to assess whether Vermont residents were “ready” to offer marriage rights to same-sex couples. The Commission interviewed hundreds of Vermont residents in eight public forums. The Commission found that the majority of Vermont residents who testified at these hearings supported gay marriage.

Beth Robinson, an attorney with the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force stated:

“The commission spent a lot of time listening to what Vermonters had to say. They did all the heavy lifting and it will make the Legislature’s job that much easier. There are all sorts of reasons why [gay marriage] makes sense. Vermonters are ready to take this up.”

The next legislative session in Vermont starts soon. We’ll see if they take action on the commission’s report.

Connecticut Ruling Boosts Vermont’s Movement

From Rutlandherald.com:

The path to legalizing same-sex marriage in Vermont may have just gotten easier in the past week.

Eight years after Vermont’s landmark civil union law, three states have moved beyond that level of recognition to fully embrace same-sex marriage, including Connecticut, where its top court last week ruled that civil unions fall short of marriage’s full benefits.

This latest development comes just six months after a Vermont Legislature-sponsored commission — after months of testimony and public input — urged lawmakers to “take seriously” the difference between civil unions and same-sex marriage.

Bills proposing gay marriage are commonly introduced at the Statehouse, but usually gain little traction in the relevant committees. But advocates and lawmakers say these and other developments across the country have changed the political climate, increasing the chance that the Legislature will seriously consider a bill early next year.

“I feel the landscape has changed, especially from eight years ago,” said Rep. Mark Larson, D-Burlington, who was the lead sponsor of a gay marriage bill during the last legislative session. “I don’t think we’ll see the divisiveness that we saw before. Vermont has come a long way since then.”