Vermont legislators voted to legalize same-sex marriage on Tuesday, overriding Republican Gov. Jim Douglas' veto of legislation passed by the state Senate on Monday. When the legislation goes into effect on Sept. 1, Vermont will become one of four states in the nation to allow gay marriage.
The state House voted 100 to 49 to override the bill after the Senate voted to override by a margin of 23 to five, the Associated Press reported. Vermont law requires a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers to override a veto.
"This was really a group effort and a team effort," Speaker of the House Shap Smith, D-Morristown, said in a press conference after the vote.
Vermont, which was the first state to recognize civil unions, is also the first state to legalize gay marriage by a legislative vote. Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa all allow gay marriage as a result of state supreme court decisions.
Douglas vetoed the bill on Monday, fulfilling his March 25 promise to do so if the legislation reached his desk.
Douglas stressed the importance of uniting as a state and focusing on Vermont's "important fiscal and economic issues," in a press conference on Tuesday following the votes.
"This is not a time for congratulations -- it's a time for moving on," Douglas said. "I really believe that Vermonters ought to focus on the future. Accept the outcome of this vote today -- I certainly do that -- but now come together and work together in the areas where we have a common interest."
Although Douglas publicly opposes gay marriage, he said he recognizes the need for federal and state cooperation on the issue.
"What I suggest is that the Congress extend federal benefits to individuals in those states that choose to recognize same-sex relationships," Douglas said. "Not to impose federal will on states that don't, but to afford federal benefits to those that do."
State Rep. Don Turner, R-Milton, echoed many Republican legislators' opposition in his speech on the House floor before the vote.
"I understand that this bill will do little or nothing to benefit the day-to-day lives of same-sex couples in Vermont by radically redefining our most basic institution," Turner said.
The overruling of the veto indicates that LGBTQA members of the Vermont community are "not outsiders anymore," Beth Robinson '86, co-founder and chairwoman of the leading advocacy group Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force, said.
"It's the ultimate act of inclusion," Robinson said. "It says we're one Vermont family. I think it touches the heart of everyone -- gay and straight -- because it finally brings us together as one community."
The Iowa Supreme Court's recent decision to legalize gay marriage may have swayed the Vermont legislators' votes, she said.
"A win anywhere is a win everywhere," Robinson said. "It certainly did not hurt that Iowa on Friday reminded us that this isn't just an issue in New England. This is really a mainstream American issue."
Jennifer Schuster '09, co-chair of the Dartmouth student group GSX, lauded both the Iowa and Vermont decisions.
"To witness the legalization of same-sex marriage in Vermont, coupled with the Iowa Supreme Court decision and the progress made in legalizing same-sex marriage here in New Hampshire, is incredibly exciting," Schuster said in an e-mail. "GSX members care passionately about achieving marriage equality, and we hope that the good luck continues."
Douglas, along with Vermont Senate Majority Leader John Campbell, D- Windsor, could not be reached for comment by press time.
A similar gay marriage bill is currently before the New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee. The New Hampshire House of Representative voted 186 to 179 to approve the bill on March 26.
Although he has publicly stated his opposition to gay marriage, Gov. John Lynch, D-N.H., has not said whether he would veto the legislation if it gets to his desk.
