LOGO: Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines. A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.
2010 Webby Award Winner for Best Political Blog
 
February 11, 2012
Log in / Register

 Choose a size
Text Size

Most Read

Morris Berman and the Decline of America

More From Chris Hedges on Black Bloc

'Crazy Horse': A Study in Erotic Abstraction

The Right's Boon in Knox v. SEIU

Elections Are for Suckers

Most Comments
Most Emailed

Reports

Ear to the Ground

A/V Booth

Arts & Culture
Political Divide

Digs
Financial Meltdown 101

Truthdig Bazaar more items

 
Ear to the Ground

Same-Sex Marriage Legalized in Vermont

Email this item Email    Print this item Print   

Share
Posted on Apr 7, 2009
gay marriage advocates
AP photo / Toby Talbot

Gay marriage advocate Beth Robinson holds back tears in Montpelier, Vt., on Tuesday following the state’s passage of a gay marriage bill. At left is Sherry Corbin and at right is Susan Murray.

Vermont has followed Iowa’s lead, becoming the fourth state to make same-sex marriage legal. On Tuesday, the Vermont Legislature overturned Gov. Jim Douglas’ veto with one more vote than was needed to make it official.

New York Times:

The step makes Vermont the first state to allow same-sex marriage through legislative action instead of a court ruling. The law goes into effect Sept. 1.

Approval had been expected in the Senate, where the vote was 23 to 5.

But the outcome in the House of Representatives was not clear until the final moments of a long roll call, when Rep. Jeff Young, a Democrat who voted against the bill last week, reversed his position. In the end the vote was 100 to 49, just slightly more than the required two-thirds majority of members present.

After the final tally, cheers erupted in both legislative chambers of the State House and in the hallways outside, and several lawmakers on both sides of the debate looked stunned.

Read more

More Below the Ad

Advertisement


Comments

Are you a Truthdig member yet? Login now, or register with Truthdig.

By Vince, April 8, 2009 at 10:51 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Leave it to Vermont and Iowa to be the most progressive states in the nation, shame on us here in California for passing Prop 9.  Whether you call it Gay Marriage or Civil Union, the basic premise is that every person should have equal rights.  It’s good to see that some states are progressing, I made a list on my site of the states I think will legalize Gay Marriage first: http://www.toptentopten.com/topten/first+states+that+will+legalize+gay+marriage

Report this
Ed Harges's avatar

By Ed Harges, April 7, 2009 at 8:02 pm Link to this comment

Well, so we have one new right in one more state, and it’s about time we had it in all 50 states.

But our more fundamental rights, as laid out in the Bill of Rights, continue to disappear. The Obama administration just won a court battle to retain Bush’s sweeping wiretapping powers, and Obama has in fact defended virtually all of the outrageous new unconstitutional powers which Bush and Cheney claimed after 9/11.

Report this

By Robert, April 7, 2009 at 2:52 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

God bless em…  especially the five who changed their vote ‘against’ marriage equality last week - to ‘for’ marriage equality today.

Report this

Add Your Comment

Posts by unregistered readers are moderated. Posts by members
are published immediately. Why wait? Register today!






                        Number of characters remaining: 4000

Notify you when others comment on this article?

Are you a human? Retype the word you see here.

     

Please read and abide by our comment policy.
By submitting this comment, you agree to this site's terms and conditions.

 
 
 
Join the Liberal Blog Advertising Network
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.
Copyright © 2012 Truthdig, L.L.C. All rights reserved.