CIVIL UNIONS BECOME PART OF VT FABRIC: From the Associated Press

Less than five years ago the idea of gay couples joining in a legal union akin to marriage was enough to rip apart the very social fabric of this small New England state that prides itself on its sense of community.

Yawning rifts opened between neighbors and even families under the symbols of the two sides in the debate: black and white "Take Back Vermont" signs among opponents and green and white "Vermont: Keep it Civil" stickers for supporters of the state's first-in-the-nation civil unions law.

Now, though, after 7,364 same-sex couples from around the world have been legally joined as spouses, civil unions have become a part of that social fabric.

In a remarkable turnaround, Democrats who were largely blamed for forcing Vermont to confront the issue have returned to their place of political dominance in the Statehouse. The new General Assembly even includes five openly gay men, up from just one when civil unions were enacted. ...

Exit polls during this past fall's elections found that 36 percent of voters supported civil unions and 40 percent would support granting same-sex couples full marriage rights. Only 21 percent said there should be no legal recognition of gay relationships.

And Vermont's resolution of the issue seemed tame by comparison to developments elsewhere around the country.

more
posted by Eve at 4:54 PM | link

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home