Vermont: The Time is Now for Same-Gender Marriage

by Michael Jones · 2009-01-14 06:47:00 UTC
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VT freedom to marryAnother New England state adds its voice today in support of same-gender marriage - at least in the form of an editorial from its second largest daily newspaper.  The Rutland Herald in Vermont, taking a cue from yesterday's news that legislators in Maine are working to pass a same-sex marriage bill through their state legislature, issued an editorial today that said the "time is now" for Vermont to join the list of states that support marriage equality.  (Vermont was the first state to recognize civil unions between same-sex couples, back in 2000.)

This is a very well-written editorial, that hits back at lawmakers and anti-marriage activists who think there "are more important issues facing a state than civil rights and marriage equality."  Roll it:

Vermont legislators should not succumb to the argument of opponents that the issue would somehow be a distraction from more important work. The question of marriage rights touches on fundamental questions of fairness embedded in our Constitution. There is nothing unimportant about it...

Where gay marriage or civil unions are given a chance, people learn that these new institutions are no threat to anyone. They validate loving relationships and solidify families.

I have to admit, there's a certain excitement watching several states - New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont - tripping over each other in pushing for marriage equality.  There's still lots of work to be done, but in the wake of Proposition 8, I'm not sure anyone thought that we'd be seeing such immediate attention paid to passing marriage equality legislation in other states.

For more information on marriage equality work in Vermont, or to plug into the local grassroots scene, check out Vermont Freedom to Marry.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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