Four Down, Forty-Six to Go
Saturday, April 11th, 2009By Twistie
On Tuesday, Vermont became the fourth state in the US to legalize same-sex marriage. The really different thing this time is that Vermont is the first state to do it with a vote of the legislature.
A few days prior to the announcement, the Vermont legislature had voted to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples, but were four short of the number of votes needed to override a veto by the governor. Governor Jim Douglas vetoed the bill on Monday. On Tuesday, several House members switched sides to override the veto. Vermont has no mechanism for a voter referendum to overturn the vote of the legislature.
In addition to this, and on the same day, the D.C. Council voted 12 - 0 to recognize legally performed same-sex marriages from other states. Washington D.C has recognized domestic partnerships created in other states, but this is the first time that same-sex marriages have been recognized by the governing body of the nation’s capitol.
In New Hampshire, the issue of same-sex marriage rights has passed the House and is now awaiting action by the Senate. Maine and New Jersey are also currently arguing the question in their legislatures. Here in my home state of California, the state Supreme Court must issue its ruling on the constitutionality of Proposition 8 which banned same-sex marriage by early June.
This is already a significant year for proponents and supporters of marriage equality. My personal hope is that 2009 will become even more significant well before it’s over.













