Gay and Lesbian couples in Vermont will be able to legally marry in the Green Mountain state effective today.
It was only nine years ago that the term civil unions was created in a Vermont legislative committee room by Vermont House members seeking a way to give gay and lesbian couples equal marriage rights but not calling it marriage. That then-historic move, making Vermont the first state to grant significant benefits to its gay and lesbian couples, is now just that, history.
Today, full marriage equality became the law of the land in Vermont (thanks to the Vermont legislature overriding the Governor’s veto of the marriage equality bill earlier this year).
Let’s raise a glass of Vermont milk and celebrate history in Vermont.
In other Vermont news, the state’s iconic ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s has temporarily renamed its popular flavor “Chubby Hubby” to “Hubby Hubby” in honor of marriage equality in the Green Mountain state. Said Walt Freese, Chief Executive Officer of Ben & Jerry’s: “At the core of Ben & Jerry’s values, we believe that social justice can and should be something that every human being is entitled to. From the very beginning of our 30 year history, we have supported equal rights for all people. The legalization of marriage for gay and lesbian couples in Vermont is certainly a step in the right direction and something worth celebrating with peace, love and plenty of ice cream.”
Ed Note: Marty Rouse, our National Field Director, helped elect and re-elect many of the legislators who both voted for civil unions in 2000 and for marriage in 2009. He and his partner Scott Sherman, lived in Richmond, VT for three years and entered into a civil union there.
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