VT NEWS: GOV. DOUGLAS SAYS HE'LL VETO FREEDOM TO MARRY BILL

(Cross-posted on Antemedius.)

In a presser yesterday Gov. Jim Douglas announced that he will veto S. 115, the marriage equality bill passed on Monday this week by the Vermont Senate. The WPTZ video is here. The process is still incomplete; the Vermont House is holding hearings and will probably vote on its own bill next week.

Shay Totten, political columnist for the Burlington alternative weekly Seven Days has been following post-vote developments.

He stands passionately for very few things, and many find it odd that he would take such a stand when even some leaders in his party — such as House Minority Leader Patti Komline (R-Dorset) — support it.

She's taken plenty of heat for it, but she firmly believes the GOP in Vermont shouldn't be on the wrong side of history on this one, or any other issue around civil rights. So has Sen. Kevin Mullin (R-Rutland) who supported the measure in the Senate Judiciary Committee and again on the Senate floor.

For weeks Douglas has emphatically stated he does not support same-sex marriage and believes it a distraction for lawmakers. He'd rather see them tackling economic issues, rather than issues of civil rights, er, same-sex marriage. However, he's been cagey on if he'd veto the bill, or let it go into law without his signature. No longer.

What is clear is that Douglas is in the minority when it comes to Vermont's elected officials when it comes to same-sex marriage.

Even a majority of Vermont's Congressional delegation supports same-sex marriage. Rep. Peter Welch (D) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) are in favor, but Sen. Patrick Leahy (D) is mum on the issue, saying he doesn't want to involve himself with the Legislature.

"While the question of whether Vermont should legalize gay marriage is a state issue, Congressman Welch does personally support legalizing gay marriage," said Paul Heintz, Welch's spokesman.

"Senator Sanders has long believed marriage is a matter of state, not federal, law. Personally, he believes in marriage equality," said Michael Briggs, Sanders' spokesman.

Unlike Douglas, and his fellow DC delegates, Leahy doesn't want his opinion to sway lawmakers' votes.

"He believes Vermont's Legislature and Governor are empowered to decide this, as the Vermont Supreme Court has clearly ruled," said David Carle, Leahy's spokesman. "His practice has always been not to tell the Vermont Legislature what it should or should not do."

The mayor of Vermont's largest city — Progressive Bob Kiss — is also weighing in on the issue and asking city councilor to join him in support of same-sex marriage. He's drafted a letter calling on Chittenden County lawmakers and the guv to back the bill. May be too late on this one.

A draft version of the letter reads:

The legislation now under consideration by the Legislature to achieve marriage equality is past due. Nine years ago Vermont led the nation when it legalized civil unions for same-sex couples. Yet we continue to deny the right of marriage – for our friends, family members and constituents – to same-sex couples. Our experience in Vermont with civil unions confirms that our best and most important decisions are based on a long of history of commitment to fairness, equality, individual liberties, and civil rights.

We have an opportunity to fulfill these principles and enact real change for all the people of Vermont by passing a same-sex marriage law. We urge you all to act now and support civil marriage rights in the State of Vermont for same sex couples.

The Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force is holding a rally Friday morning at the Statehouse during the time set aside for Gov. Douglas to have a legislative open door inside his ceremonial office under the Golden Dome. The open door event starts at 9 a.m.

I have also heard that newly elected Burlington city councilor, Marissa Caldwell, is organising on Facebook a sit-in rally on Saturday in front of the governor's Middlebury residence. Here's an idea: have two straight married couples knock on the governor's door with bagels, cream cheese and coffee on a tray and invite Gov. Jim to come out for an informal brunch and chat with Vermont's citizens! There's still time for history to be made!

VT SENATE APPROVES FREEDOM TO MARRY BILL, 26-4

History was made today.

Vermont Public Radio:-- The Vermont Senate voted 26-to-four on Monday to approve a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage.

Supporters said the legislation is needed to provide same-sex couples with all the legal rights and privileges that heterosexual couples have.

If the bill becomes law, Vermont would become the first state in the country to adopt same-sex marriage without a court ordering it.

The legislation would go into effect at the beginning of September, and after that date, civil unions would no longer be available to same-sex couples.

Any civil unions issued over the last nine years would continue to be recognized by the state and civil union couples would have the option of getting a marriage license.

Windsor Senator John Campbell urged his colleagues to support the bill. Campbell said the time has come for Vermont to provide marriage equality to same-sex couples:

"To me I look at what marriage is is a commitment. It's about love. It's about if you choose to raise a family, how you raise your children. Marriage, to me, should be inclusive."

Campbell said he was dismayed that some opponents of the bill described same-sex couples as being immoral:

(Campbell) "And even one person went so far to say those people should be arrested because that lifestyle should be criminal. You know who those they people are? They are our policemen. They are our firefighters. They're teachers; they're garbagemen; they're the guy who plows the street. They are our children, our sisters, our brothers. That's what they are. They are human beings and as such and as it's said in this bill they should be treated equally."

An effort to place this issue in a nonbinding statewide referendum was defeated by a vote of 19-11.

The House Judiciary Committee is set to begin its review of the bill on Tuesday. The legislation could be on the House floor for a vote by the end of next week.

Vermonters: For many senators this was a difficult vote. Go here to find a list of senators to thank.

Cross-posted at Antemedius.

VERMONT: SAME SEX MARRIAGE BILL GOES TO SENATE

Blurt

The same-sex marriage bill is headed to the Vermont Senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously today — 5 to 0 — to advance the bill out of committee.

Vermont Freedom to Marry is urging supporters to call their senators, and be present when the Senate debates and votes on the bill. That's expected to happen on Monday at 3 p.m.

Will Gov. Douglas veto the bill, it passes the House and Senate? I heard him say today on Vermont Edition that he did not support it. He made that idiotic argument that discounts the civil rights of all - including LBGT folk - as being less important than what he thinks Vermonters really care about: jobs and the economy.