Daylife/AP Photo

The Vermont Legislature today overrode Gov. Jim Douglas’s veto of a bill allowing gay couples to marry, mustering one more vote than needed to preserve the measure.

Approval had been expected in the Senate, where the vote was 23 to 5. But the outcome in the House of Representatives was not clear until the final moments of a long roll call, when Rep. Jeff Young, a Democrat who voted against the bill last week, reversed his position. In the end the vote was 100 to 49, just slightly more than the required two-thirds majority of members present.

After the final tally, cheers erupted in both legislative chambers of the State House and in the hallways outside, and several lawmakers on both sides of the debate looked stunned.

It’s a great day for equality,” said State Representative Margaret Cheney, a Democrat from Norwich. “People saw this as an equality issue, and we’re proud that Vermont has led the way without a court order to provide equal benefits.”

Vermont is now the first state where the legislature deemed same-sex marriages legal – rather than letting the courts take the political heat from the holier-than-thou crowd.




  1. Publius says:

    Freedom!

    Wow.

    Welcome back, my old friend.

  2. Mr. Fusion says:

    #17, Angel,

    The last time I checked, the ideal Christian wife was nothing but a pet with a vegetable for a brain.

    ooooooo, now that is cutting.

    🙂

  3. Mr. Fusion says:

    #27, ILoveObama

    Lucky for you, now you are free to shove that bottle up your Hershey highway. Could you be any more of a fag?

    Wow, do you have issues happening?. Did your BFF leave you for that cute bartender? Is your tube steak dripping after Saturday’s fun time? Did Alphie’s church condemn you because they don’t love you?

  4. Phydeau says:

    Gay marriage opens the closet door and pokes a stick around in there. Interesting to see who complains. 🙂

  5. Hugh Ripper says:

    guiltywhiteliberal/dumbassliberals

    women often turn lesbian (ugly or not – i know several HOT lesbians), because of douchebags like yourself. Consider yourself a gaycombobulator.

  6. RBG says:

    Wait a sec. – again! I thought I already set everyone straight>/i>:

    So now we can have a:
    Heterosexual man marry a heterosexual woman
    Homosexual man marry a homosexual man
    Homosexual woman marry a homosexual woman
    Heterosexual woman marry a heterosexual woman
    Heterosexual man marry a heterosexual man
    Homosexual man marry a homosexual woman

    because an enlightened society understands this is just a simple matter of individual freedoms and basic human rights.

    But if a man wishes to marry two consenting women, well now, that is just plain sick.

    Call me old-fashioned but I liked it better when marriage was based on that billion year old tradition known as sexual reproduction evolution.

    RBG

  7. Hugh Ripper says:

    #37 RGB

    So how do you explain gay penguins?

  8. ObamaSucks says:

    #33 Mr Fusion said “nothing of interest”

    Thanks for enlightening us to your major malfunction. Now we know that your plumbing is faulty because you go drilling for turds by sticking your dingus into sewage exit points.

    Could YOU be any more of a fag?

  9. Olo Baggins of Bywater says:

    #39, you sound like a stupid teenager. Not normal stupid, but a truly dumb one. With issues. Good luck, bubba.

  10. ObamaSuck says:

    #40 Olo Fag of Bywater said “blah blah blah”

    So let me see if I have this correct – you approve, no endorse two guys sticking their dingus up each others butt then accuse others of having issues. Sounds freaky to me and with such a perverted endorsement I’d say any accusations of issues should be directed towards you.

  11. Tele-Quality says:

    Phydeau, I’m gay, so you can pretty much throw your attempt to throw me into the category of people who say homosexuality is immoral in the trash.

    To be perfectly clear, homosexuality is just an expression, much like words. I’m all for gay unions, equal benefits to couples who join in unions/marriages, if that’s what a couple, or truple, or quadruple wants, but I am not for using the term marriage for gays. The simple word marriage is for straights who by the way they were manufactured or evolved or what have you, can in most cases, create new life. If gays can’t accept that they are NOT COMPLETELY EQUAL to straight couples, they are either stupid, egomaniacs (Rosie is one good example). Gay couples are not 100% equal to straight couples because they cannot make human beings in such a union whatsoever, so their “equality” argument is not on par with that of other civil rights matters.

    May I remind anyone interested, my point as a gay dude is that gay unions be called “unions”, not “marriage”.

    When gay couples make babies by having sex, let me know, then we can revisit this equality matter and start fighting over a word in a way that matters.

  12. Dallas says:

    #42 Tele, well, I’m gay and I say throw your ass back in the trash. Calling yourself gay neither makes you more of a spokesperson for the gay community nor the final word on the definition of marriage.

    Your point about “..my point as a gay dude..” makes you even more suspect as a liar hiding behind an alias in addition to being a moron.

  13. bobbo says:

    #44–Alfie the befuddled==you do know this thread is about the people thru their elected representatives OVERRIDING a pandering repuglican religious wingnut to extend the benefits of marriage to homosexuals?

    It has nothing to do with judges at all. Thats all in your fetid imagination==as are most things. But your ability to flex and receive new information is once again displayed.

  14. Paddy-O says:

    “Legislature legalizes same-sex marriage – again!”

    Why again? What happened the last time the legislature passed a law redefining marriage in Vermont?

  15. Dallas says:

    #46 Alfie –
    Except for 2010, I (we) agree those are your intents if elected into office!

  16. Mr. Fusion says:

    #44, Alphie, the Quaalude Queen,

    So what word are the judges changing the meaning for?

    mar·ry 
    v. mar·ried, mar·ry·ing, mar·ries
    v.tr.
    1.
    a. To join as spouses by exchanging vows.
    b. To take as a spouse.
    c. To give in marriage.
    2. To perform a marriage ceremony for: The rabbi married the couple.
    3. To obtain by marriage: marry money.
    4. Nautical To join (two ropes) end to end by interweaving their strands.
    5. To unite in a close, usually permanent way: “His material marries the domestic and the exotic” Clifton Fadiman.
    v.intr.
    1. To take a husband or wife; wed: They married in their twenties.
    2. To combine or blend agreeably:

    Seems there are enough definitions to make this the correct word for two people in love to join together.

  17. Paddy-O says:

    #50

    Webster
    marriage
    Function: noun
    Etymology: M.E. mariage,
    Date: 14th century
    marriage the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law

  18. Phydeau says:

    A more concerning issue is the redefinition of a word (marriage) that has 6000 years of human history to define its lexical meaning as a man+woman in marital union.

    Wrong. For one thing, many societies have defined marriage as one man and many women. And how do you know that at some point during the last 6000 years gay couples haven’t lived together in relationships recognized as marriage? You don’t, you’re only going on your prejudice. And since homosexual behavior is prevalent in the animal kingdom (See “Biological Exuberance” at Amazon) it’s certain that homosexuality has existed in humans forever. And yet, society hasn’t crumbled. How about that.

  19. Paddy-O says:

    # 52 Phydeau said, “And since homosexual behavior is prevalent in the animal kingdom…”

    In the animal kingdom so is infanticide, “murder”, fratricide, theft, etc., etc… So, you want to use animal behavior to determine what is acceptable human behavior? Yes, or no?

  20. ObamaSucks says:

    # 52 Phydeau said “a great big funny”

    What a knee slapper! So now you’re trying to justify your particular brand of perversion by comparing homosexuality to animal behavior. Holy crap, talking about a blind squirrel finding a nut! I would write more but I can’t top laughing at you.

  21. Olo Baggins of Bywater says:

    Where was your outrage when they redefined icon?

    And hey you suckin’ Obama…crawl back under your rock.

  22. RBG says:

    38 Hugh

    The most famous “gay” penguin I know about…
    Gay Penguin Leaves Lover
    But it all ended when a new female penguin was introduced to the area. Silo has now built a nest with her, leaving Roy to raise their chick.

    http://tinyurl.com/dxsst7

    Next you’re going to tell me dogs that hump your leg is proof of the natural beauty of inter-species sex.

    RBG

  23. Mr. Fusion says:

    #54, ILove Obama said,

    I hope a squirrel finds my nuts

    Ten thousand comedians out of work and you’re trying to be funny. Don’t give up your day job standing outside Home Depot waiting for the boss to show.

  24. Phydeau says:

    #53 Paddy O’Troll, we’ve already gone over this in threads about homosexuality. It’s been explained to you. Go troll elsewhere. Shoo.

    #54 Anti-gay bigots have for a long time criticized homosexuals for engaging in “unnatural” behavior. I’m just pointing out to you that it is very natural. If that makes you feel squicky, deal with it, pal.

    #56 You are absolutely right. That penguin wasn’t gay… he was bisexual. Totally different. 🙂

  25. Paddy-O says:

    # 58 Phydeau said, “we’ve already gone over this in threads about homosexuality.”

    Okay, so you do think that because animals do something it is okay for people also. Got it. Thanks for the clarification. If someone murders you, remember it is okay because animals do it too.

  26. ObamaSucks says:

    #57 Fusion said “Ten thousand comedians out of work and you’re trying to be funny.”

    You’re complaining to the audience, talk to Phydeau about playing Letterman. What the hell is a Phydeau anyway French for lawnmower head.

  27. guiltywhiteliberal says:

    why are gay bitches so ugly? still waiting for an answer…

  28. Phydeau says:

    You know, not all gay bashers are closeted homosexuals, but there are a significant number of them. If you feel sudden inexplicable rage when you think of what two people you don’t know might be doing behind closed doors, you might want to see a therapist. There are few things more sad to see than a closeted gay basher. He projects his self-loathing on everyone else, he’s totally miserable and he wants everyone else to be miserable too. Don’t live your life that way, have the strength to accept how you really are. Really. I have some formerly closeted gay friends and they feel so much better now.

  29. Phydeau says:

    Paddy O’Troll, you’ve obviously mistaken me for someone who gives a sh*t about what you think. Have a nice day. 🙂

  30. ObamaSucks says:

    #58 Phydeau said “another load of crap”

    Homosexuality is unnatural behavior. If it wasn’t it wouldn’t need defending by dipwads like you. I know guarding freakazoid behavior makes you feel better about yourself but stop sniffing farts and go breathe some clean air for a change.


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