In 2000, Vermont became the first state to allow full civil unions. Now their legislature just legalized gay marriage, joining Connecticut and Massachusetts in doing so. New Hampshire and Maine legislators are considering similar bills.
New England is now the unquestioned leader in legalizing gay marriage.
The religious right has way less influence there than elsewhere, these laws will stick.
Still sucks that it’s this state by state crap… Where’s my Loving case? 🙂
Leave it to Vermont and Iowa to be the most progressive states in the nation, shame on us here in California for passing Prop 9. Whether you call it Gay Marriage or Civil Union, the basic premise is that every person should have equal rights. It’s good to see that some states are progressing, I made a list on my site of the states I think will legalize Gay Marriage first: http://www.toptentopten.com/topten/first+states+that+will+legalize+gay+marriage
Vermont is amazing. Highly libertarian. When they passed the original bill in 2000 legalizing gay civil unions, not only were they the first in the nation to do so, they also permitted concealed carry of a handgun without a permit. In the 60’s when hippies moved in, everyone basically got on fine. The hippies just wanted to be left alone and the locals didn’t much care if the hippies ran around naked and smoked pot as long as they did on their own land, away from everyone else.