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Vermont
Moving
Slowly
Forward On Gay Marriage
by
365Gay.com On the Web, July 25, 2007
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Montpellier, Vermont --
Vermont, the first state to legalize civil unions, is now cautiously moving
forward on same-sex marriage with the Democratic leaders in both the House and
Senate announcing Wednesday the creation of a committee to study the issue.
Speaker Gaye Symington and Senate President Peter Shumlin told a Burlington news
conference they are setting up a 10 member commission that will hold 6 public
hearings around the state to gauge public opinion.
But carefully avoiding making same-sex marriage an election issue, the
commission will report back to the legislature in April and no action will be
taken until after the 2008 election.
The go-slowly approach, Symington and Shumlin said is aimed at avoiding
polarizing public opinion during the election campaign along party lines.
"Is it time to change that status, and I would like to draw more Vermonters into
understanding what that means what it means. I don't think that's on the
radar screen of most Vermonters, and I think this will put it on the radar
screen if it’s ready to change," said Symington.
Former Rep. Tom Little of Shelburne, who chaired the House Judiciary Committee
that created civil unions, will chair the commission.
A bill that would replace Vermont's landmark civil union law with same-sex
marriage was introduced in the State House in February and although the measure
sponsored by Rep. Mark Larson (D) has 32 house members and 10 senators as
co-sponsors it has gained little traction.
The legislation, Larson said, would do three things. First, it would give
same-sex couples the right to marry. Secondly, it would allow clergy to
refuse to perform a same-sex marriage if it violated their religious beliefs.
Thirdly it would convert civil unions already performed into marriages.
In 2000 the Vermont Supreme Court ordered the legislature to recognize the
rights of same-sex couples. The debate over civil unions opened up major
rifts across the state -- something Symington and Shumlin say they hope the
commission will avoid.
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