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Vote breakdown: 26 YES - 4 NO
22 Democrats & 4 Republicans voted YES
1 Democrat & 3 Republicans voted NO

MONTPELIER — The Vermont Senate voted 26-4 in favor of same-sex marriage Monday, giving the measure greater support than many expected.

“I resolved this yesterday,” said Sen. Matt Choate, a freshman Democrat from Caledonia County.

Choate said he balanced all the arguments and finally focused on the Constitution, the document he had sworn to uphold. Civil unions, created in 2000 to offer same-sex couples the same rights as married couples, did not succeed in providing full equality, he said. “There really was no other way to vote.”

Sen. Phil Scott, R-Washington, said he didn’t know how he was going to vote when he walked into the Senate chamber Monday afternoon, but made up his mind while listening to the debate. “I said if I’m going to err on one side or the other, I would err on the side of basic human rights.”

Scott said he was taken by the arguments Campbell made for the bill. Campbell sought to counteract arguments that had been made against it, including what he called the “they” factor.

“You know who those ‘they’ people are? They’re our policemen, our firefighters, our teachers, garbagemen, the guy who plows the street. They’re our children. Our sisters, brothers, they’re human beings, and as such, as it’s said in this bill, they should be treated equally,” Campbell said.

Even as he argued for a public referendum, Sen. Kevin Mullin, R-Rutland, supported the bill and said he thought Vermonters would vote for same-sex marriage in a statewide vote.

The bill faces another vote in the Senate today before going to the House. The House Judiciary Committee is expected to begin taking testimony today. The bill is expected to pass the House, but faces an uncertain future when it reaches Gov. Jim Douglas. He said he opposes the bill but hasn’t said whether he will veto it.

*thumbs up*

FUCKING AWESOME!!!!!

God loves gays!

Hell yeah that's great

very cool.

how bout a link or a citation?

edit: here's one http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/03/23/vermont.samesex.marriage/

Lets hope that the governor does not veto it.

ugh but seriously Vermont??


really?


prolly cuz they need the tourists to go there and spend money

maybe the Pols in Vermont are not Knuckle Draggers and accept Gay and Lesibans as PEOPLE. Now there is a radical thought treating people with Civil Rights. Too bad that opinion is not shared here in Texas

HighAvenue saidugh but seriously Vermont??


really?


prolly cuz they need the tourists to go there and spend money

It certainly puts them leaps and bounds ahead of Texas on the cool scale.

this is great! lets enjoy it until the counter attack has this overturned too.

why the ugh on vermont? i'd always heard it's a lovely place?

Yay!

McGay saidGod loves gays!

So does Fred Phelps.... he just won't admit it yet.

Woohoo!

I read somewhere that if gay marriage happens in Vermot, it'll be the first state to give the rights without it being a result of a court case.

I think that it is awesome that a beautiful, scenic state like Vermont has passed a gay marriage bill. This will greatly disprove the persistant myth among many gays that most small town and rural states and areas are unprogressive, bigoted, impoverished, and backward. Vermont being the nation's most rural state is also one of the nation's best educated and most progressive states. So why all the narrow-minded dislike towards a beautiful, mountainous northeastern state like Vermont, some of you guys just don't know what you are missing. Time to flee the metropolitan areas and come out and discover and enjoy small town and rural America. I say congratulations to the Vermont state senate for passing this gay marriage bill and lets hope the governor will sign it into law.

hell yea!!

czarodziej saidthis is great! lets enjoy it until the counter attack has this overturned too.

There is no way it can be overturned, once it becomes law (if it becomes law). Vermont does not have a system that allows for a public initiative (such as happened in California). The anti-gay right can cry, yell, scream and spend all the money they want. It will do no good here.
The only ways to change the law would be for the courts to overturn it or a future legislature to change its mind. Neither will happen, trust me.
This will all come down to what the governor will do. It should be through the Vermont House in less than 2 weeks. We will know then.

HighAvenue saidugh but seriously Vermont??


really?


prolly cuz they need the tourists to go there and spend money

It would appear you have an unfavorable, and unjustified, impression of this state.

Bernie Sanders is one of the US Senators from Vermont. Vermont continues to progressively lead New England. Congratulations Vermont citizens. ;-)

gsh1964 said

McGay saidGod loves gays!

So does Fred Phelps.... he just won't admit it yet.

Now how many times Have I said that here. It's not new news!

I know God loves us!

GuerrillaSodomite said

My sentiments exactly!

McGay said

HighAvenue saidugh but seriously Vermont??

It certainly puts them leaps and bounds ahead of Texas on the cool scale.

Vermont is lovely in a bucolic sort of way, but "cool" is not the word that comes to mind. It's inhabited in equal numbers by cows and by let's-go-back-to-the-earth neo-hippies. Of course the gay-friendly progressivism is nice, but the birkenstocks are less so. Once traveling from NY to Boston I had to sit next to a girl on her way to VT to join a cheese-making collective. It was a very long trip.
As for TX, it may not be cool, but we're more dynamic.

SAHEM62896 said

GuerrillaSodomite said

My sentiments exactly!

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