February 8, 2007: The country’s first state to allow legal civil unions may be the second to offer full marriage rights. This is from 365.Gay.com.

Legislation that would replace Vermont’s landmark civil union law with same-sex marriage was introduced Wednesday at the State House.

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Mark Larson (D) and has 32 house members and 10 senators as co-sponsors. “After seven years of civil unions, this is simply the right thing to do,” Larson said in introducing the legislation.

The measure is similar to one Larson put forward last year but failed to gain support.

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.

Good for Larson and the members and senators who are throwing in their support. Civil Unions have had no negative impact at all on anyone in the state. They’ve only served to create more loving families.

Of course, the fact that equality is being achieved on a state-by-state basis does create some problems. My partner and I had a CU when we lived in VT - does this mean we’ll be married if the bill passes? And if down the line, our current state offers CUs or equal marriage rights, will we have to get a divorce in VT? Or will we have two separate marraiges in two states?

Thanks a lot, federal government.

Scott

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 8th, 2007 at 10:29 pm and is filed under General, The Fight for Equal Marriage. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.