Vermont Freedom to Marry

FAQ for couples who want to marry

Read answers to questions commonly asked by same-sex couples considering marrying in Vermont. Click here to view the FAQ.

Thank Senator Shumlin for his principled stand for fairness and equality!

photo by Karen Pike

Senator Shumlin was scheduled to be an honored guest at next week's Democratic National Committee fundraising event targeting the glbt community.  In light of the Obama Administration's failure to take action to repeal the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act," and in the wake of the Obama Administration's recent legal defense of "DOMA" in the courts -- invoking an analogy between homosexuality and incest -- Senator Shumlin has withdrawn from participation in his party's fundraiser.  Federal respect for our own inclusive marriage law is on the line, and Senator Shumlin is standing by his dogged insistence on glbt equality.  We've pasted in a copy of Senator Shumlin's letter to the DNC below.

Please thank Senator Shumlin for his continued support for fairness for all Vermonters-- and Americans.  You can email him at:  senprespt@leg.state.vt.us

Thanks!

Beth Robinson

A copy of Senator Shumlin's letter withdrawing from the DNC event:

Dear Andy,

Further our recent telephone conversation, I was looking forward to seeing you next week in DC for the DNC event with Vice President Joe Biden, but after learning how the Administration and the Department of Justice is choosing to defend DOMA, I am writing to let you know that I am canceling my participation in the upcoming event.

As an early and strong supporter of Barack Obama I am shocked and disappointed at the level of insensitivity that the Department of Justice has shown towards gay and lesbian couples and their families.  By defending DOMA and making reference to horribly inaccurate and deeply hurtful stereotypes about gay and lesbian Americans, the Administration has chosen discriminate against a minority group that we all have a responsibility to be more courageous in defending. This action will only serve to sow the seeds for further hatred and division against the only minority group left in America that politicians can publicly discriminate against and see their approval ratings rise.  My disappointment in this has led me to the regrettable decision not to be a participant in the DNC event.

I am proud Vermont made history in how we enacted marriage equality - not through a court order but through legislative action.  The tides of history, love and justice came together in Vermont and I look forward to witnessing this movement swell across the nation as all of America's citizens are granted equal rights.  It is my hope that the Obama Administration will actively support what we did in Vermont - grant marriage equality to all under the law - nothing more and nothing less.

Andy, I appreciate your hard work on behalf of the DNC and I make this decision with regret.

My Best,

Peter Shumlin

New Hampshire Becomes 6th State to Win Marriage Equality!

On Wednesday, June 3, the New Hampshire Senate and House passed a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry. Governor John Lynch quickly signed the bill, which goes into effect at midnight on January 1, 2010. New Hampshire joins Vermont, Maine, Iowa, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.

 On June 3, Vermont Freedom to Marry staff Sheryl Rapee-Adams and Ashley Kaufmann were on the ground in Concord, New Hampshire where other Vermont equality supporters joined them to celebrate with Vermont's neighbors in the Granite State. Many thanks to those who made the trip and many others who helped spread the word and sent good vibes!

As the jubilant crowd streamed from the State House, a supporter thanked a legislator who smiled and said, "You're welcome. Now we need you to be there for us."

 That will be equally true in Vermont. Watch for Vermont Freedom to Marry alerts with opportunities for you to help equality this summer by volunteering at VFM's THANK YOU VERMONT booth at summer events and  county fairs.

Thank you for always being there for equality.

California: Prop 8 stands; so do 18,000 marriages

A divided California Supreme Court has upheld the Constitutionality of Prop 8, though it affirmed the validity of marriages of same-sex couples who legally married in California prior to passage of that constitutional amendment last November.  Civil rights advocates have vowed to overturn Prop 8 where it began:  at the ballot box. 

Last fall, the movement for gay and lesbian civil rights hit a low when California voters overturned a decision of that state's highest court that same-sex couples had a constitutionally-protected right to marry.  Since then, the national tide has shifted decidedly, with Iowa, Vermont and Maine joining Massachusetts and Connecticut in allowing same-sex couples to legally marry, and New Hampshire on the verge.

"We had hoped the California Court would strike down Prop 8," explained Beth Robinson, of Vermont Freedom to Marry, "but we, and our counterparts in California, remain undaunted.  The advances of the last few months drive home the reality that if we persevere, we will succeed." 

We'll try to post the California decision on our web site as soon as we can access it.  In the meantime, we urge Vermonters to give their immediate attention to our neighbors to the East, as our counterparts in New Hampshire can use all the help we can offer them in this home stretch:  www.nhftm.org.

In the long run, let's support our friends in California as they prepare for another round before the voters, www.eqca.org; in New York, as they urge their Senate to pass the marriage bill already passed by their General Assembly,  www.prideagenda.org ; in Maine, where they're gearing up to defend the newly-won freedom to marry in a voter initiative, www.equalitymaine.org, and New Jersey, where they're mounting a legislative push of their own, www.gardenstateequality.org. 

Beth Robinson
Vermont Freedom to Marry

New Hampshire Equality Report

On Cinco de Mayo, VFM staff Sheryl Rapée-Adams and Ashley Kaufmann deployed to Hanover, NH, and spent the week supporting New Hampshire Freedom to Marry's efforts to WIN marriage equality in the Granite State.  While they were there, the New Hampshire legislature passed HB 436, New Hampshire's marriage equality bill!

Ashley and Sheryl helped generate over 500 signatures on pro-equality petitions to NH Governor John Lynch.  They inspired hundreds of New Hampshire residents to make hundreds of pro-equality calls to the Governor's office.  They connected with and mobilized the local community, especially at Dartmouth College, trained their replacement, and left a functioning system in place for incoming NH Freedom to Marry staff and volunteers to continue the push for NH marriage equality in 2009.  Ashley and Sheryl have returned to Vermont, but the work in New Hampshire continues full-throttle!

THANK YOU

As always, Vermont Freedom to Marry supporters stepped up and stood out in support of marriage equality.  VFM members volunteered, contacted their NH family and friends to urge Gov. Lynch to sign the bill, and more.
We are grateful for your ongoing work and awareness that, irrespective of state borders, equality is the right thing for everyone!

New Hampshire is so close to winning marriage equality!  Once HB 436 arrives on Governor John Lynch's desk, it awaits only his signature -- or he can just wait five days and it will pass into law without his signature.  Now every pro-equality New Hampshire resident must contact the Governor and say so.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

- Please contact everyone you know in New Hampshire and ask them to call the Governor at 603-271-2121 (attendant or voicemail 24/7) and urge him to sign HB 436, the marriage equality bill.

- Urge NH residents to sign the petition for Governor Lynch.

- Wherever you live, you can receive action alerts from New Hampshire Freedom to Marry.  Sign up here. 

- Click here to make a donation that will help New Hampshire WIN marriage
equality!

- To learn more, go to New Hampshire Freedom to Marry's website.  

Congratulations Maine!!!

Today, Maine’s Governor John Baldacci signed into law a freedom to marry bill overwhelmingly approved by the Senate and House.  Maine now joins Iowa, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut in ending the exclusion of gay couples from marriage.

To learn more go to NPR.

Also, VFM organizers need your support in New Hampshire!

New Hampshire's marriage equality bill will be on Governor John Lynch's desk soon and we need to make sure he signs it into law.  We're working closely with the New Hampshire Freedom to Marry to urge residents of NH to contact the governor to urge him to sign the bill. YOU CAN HELP! Especially if you live close to the NH boarder or if you know folks in NH. Please email Ashley or Sheryl today to find out how you can help NH join Vermont, Iowa, Massachusetts, Connecticut and now - Maine!!!!!!

Emails:  ashley@nhftm.org, sheryl@nhftm.org