Support our work to assist other states and the national effort
to gain civil marriage rights and erase discrimination for same-sex couples.
Happy New Year!
Vermont Freedom to Marry kicks it off with a FREE workshop, "Legal and Financial Planning Strategies for Same-Sex Couples and LGBTQ Individuals." Get your questions answered by professionals with extensive legal and accounting expertise, who support our movement to achieve full equality.
VIEW AND PRINT THE WORKSHOP FLYER HERE.
Twelve years ago today, the Vermont Supreme Court handed down its decision in the lawsuit Baker v. State, a groundbreaking decision with mixed implications.
On the one hand, "Baker" determined that same-sex couples had the constitutional right to the same benefits and protections as married heterosexual couples; on the other hand, it did not determine that same-sex couples had the constitutional right to receive those benefits through civil marriage.
Instead, the court called for the Vermont Legislature to decide how the state would confer the benefits and protections of marriage on same-sex couples.
In response, and after a divisive statewide debate, the legislature created the Civil Union law in 2000 signed by then-Governor Howard Dean. Vermont Freedom to Marry supported the law, recognizing that it was a step in the right direction, while maintaining that it fell short of full equality. On July 1, 2000 at midnight, the state's first Civil Union was held at the Brattleboro Town Clerk's office.
Continue reading "Twelve years ago today Vermont made history" »
This holiday season, we have much to be thankful for in Vermont.
In November, the Senate Judiciary Committee, under the leadership of Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, advanced the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the discriminatory "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA). Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is a co-sponsor of the legislation, and Vermont Rep. Peter Welch is a co-sponsor of the parallel House bill.
As Gov. Shumlin said, "It's been a long struggle . . . But think how quickly we have moved. And that we're now in a state where a governor can appoint the first openly gay member of the Supreme Court, and it's not even an issue anymore.
Listen to Gov. Shumlin's full statement about Beth's appointment.
In our continuing effort to be VT's resource for LGBT family issues, Vermont Freedom to Marry is excited to offer a free Legal & Financial Planning Workshop at four Interactive Television Studios around the state on January 4, 2012.
For details on the Workshop, click here to see the announcement on our website, and stay tuned for Facebook and Twitter announcements.
Yet, as fortunate as we are to live in an equality state, our work is not finished.
Until DOMA is repealed, legally married same-sex couples in VT receive none of the 1000+ federal benefits other married couples take for granted. Our families remain vulnerable whenever we travel to places that lack Vermont's legal safeguards. For gay and lesbian couples, safe travel even to our nearest neighbors isn't assured, as New Hampshire same-sex couples and allies are facing attempts to strip away marriage equality.
Because equality shouldn't depend on where you are, VT Freedom to Marry continues to work towards full federal marriage equality and to be an ongoing resource for Vermonters who believe in equality for all.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Together, we are working towards marriage equality for all.
Thanks for your support.
Mark your calendar and spread the word for our FREE workshop:
Legal & Financial Planning Strategies
for Same-sex Couples and LGBTQ Individuals
It’s on Wednesday January 4, 2012, 5:30 – 7 p.m. Attend at any one of these Vermont Interactive Television studios: Williston, Brattleboro, White River Junction or Montpelier.
Attend this event to have your questions answered for FREE by professionals with extensive legal and accounting expertise who support our movement to achieve full equality.
LGBTQ couples, families, and individuals face a complicated and confusing legal patchwork in the US, and abroad. Although we have civil marriage equality, adoptive parent recognition, and other important LGBTQ safeguards WITHIN Vermont, our families are vulnerable whenever we travel to places that lack these crucial legal recognitions. And, because of discriminatory US laws like DOMA, the federal government does not provide many of the legal protections our families need.
Because the rights of LGBTQ individuals and couples depend on which state you’re in, you need to protect yourself, your family and your dreams.
The presentation will cover:
Presenters Kenneth M. Nussbaum, CPA/PFS, JD and Alexia Venafra, Esq. will co-present and answer your questions. Ken is a CPA and Consultant who works extensively with same-sex couples, and Alexia is a VFM board member and an attorney with Langrock Sperry & Wool, LLP, where she works with LGBTQ clients on estate planning and business succession planning, as well as on family law i ssues such as adoptions, prenuptials, and surrogacy and donor agreements.
WHAT:
Free Legal & Financial Planning Strategies for Same-sex Couples and LGBTQ Individuals
WHEN:
Wednesday January 4, 2012, 5:30 - 7 p.m.
WHERE:
VIT studios in Williston, Brattleboro, White River Junction and Montpelier
==========================================================
Please spread the word by forwarding this page, Tweeting it, Facebooking it, and talking it up with your family, friends and colleagues.
Forward this link:
http://www.vtfreetomarry.org/2011/11/save-the-date-142012-legal-financial-planning-workshop.html
Tweet this:
1/4/12 #VT: FREE workshop: Legal & Financial Planning Strategies for Same-sex Couples & LGBTQ Individuals ow.ly/7vZ7D Pls RT!
Post this to Facebook:
Check out this FREE workshop on 1/4/12:
http://www.vtfreetomarry.org/2011/11/save-the-date-142012-legal-financial-planning-workshop.html
R.S.V.P. on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/288888391134088/
And please spread the word!
NOVEMBER 10 - MONTPELIER – Gov. Peter Shumlin joined 15 other governors and mayors in marriage equality states in urging the Senate Judiciary Committee to repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). That panel is expected today to markup the Respect for Marriage Act (RMA), which would end federal marriage discrimination.
“We write as state and local leaders where marriage equality is recognized urging you to end federal discrimination against our citizens. Tens of thousands of loving and committed gay and lesbian couples have been strengthened because our states recognize their equal right to marry. These couples work hard, pay taxes and share the same values as other married couples but they are constantly hamstrung in their ability to protect themselves and their families because of the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act,” the bipartisan leaders wrote to the committee.
They went on to state, “ It disrespects our states’ decisions to treat all of our citizens equally, and even requires our states’ governments, when we jointly administer federal programs like Medicaid, to actively discriminate against our own lawfully-married citizens.”
Signing the letter with Gov. Shumlin were New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City, Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. of New Haven, CT, Mayor Bill Finch of Bridgeport, CT, Mayor Vincent C. Gray of Washington, DC, Mayor Edwin Lee of San Francisco, Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston, Mayor Jerry Sanders of San Diego, Mayor Pedro E. Segarra of Hartford, CT, and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles. California Gov. Jerry Brown submitted a separate letter to the committee in support of the RMA.
“I’m proud of our leadership in Vermont,” said Gov. Shumlin. “We’ve shown that respecting and supporting all families makes our state and our communities stronger. I have no doubt that getting rid of DOMA will likewise make our nation stronger.”
DOMA was enacted in 1996 to define marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman.
The Letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee:
As the committee considers the Respect for Marriage Act (S.598), we write as state and local leaders where marriage equality is recognized urging you to end federal discrimination against our citizens. Tens of thousands of loving and committed gay and lesbian couples have been strengthened because our states recognize their equal right to marry. These couples work hard, pay taxes and share the same values as other married couples but they are constantly hamstrung in their ability to protect themselves and their families because of the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act.
DOMA prevents any of the over 1,100 federal rights, benefits and responsibilities of marriage from being afforded to same-sex couples or their families. These include Social Security survivor benefits, federal employee health benefits for spouses, protections against spouses losing their homes in cases of severe medical emergencies, the right to sponsor a foreign born partner for immigration, the guarantee of family and medical leave and the ability to file joint tax returns, among many others. While we are proud that our states have eased the burdens on families, these provisions of federal law are beyond our purview and Congressional action is required.
By denying federal recognition for some of our states’ lawful marriages, DOMA does not just deny married same-sex couples these and other critical rights and benefits. It disrespects our states’ decisions to treat all of our citizens equally, and even requires our states’ governments, when we jointly administer federal programs like Medicaid, to actively discriminate against our own lawfully-married citizens.
We also write because DOMA does more than just hurt gay and lesbian couples – it affects all of our constituents. First and foremost, it hurts the children of same-sex couples, who suffer from the financial instability DOMA creates for their parents. For LGBT youth, DOMA sends a dangerous message that that they cannot be full and equal citizens of their country. DOMA also harms parents and siblings and friends who must step in with financial and emotional support to mitigate these problems. And perhaps most of all, DOMA is a stain on our common values.
The federal government should not be in the business of picking which marriages it likes and which it does not, but that is exactly what DOMA does. We urge you to pass the Respect for Marriage Act and ensure that all families are afforded equal protections and equal dignity.
Sincerely,
Governor Andrew Cuomo
New York
Governor Dannel Malloy
Connecticut
Governor Martin O’Malley
Maryland
Governor Deval Patrick
Massachusetts
Governor Lincoln Chafee
Rhode Island
Governor Peter Shumlin
Vermont
Mayor Thomas Menino
Boston, MA
Mayor Bill Finch
Bridgeport, CT
Mayor Pedro E. Segarra
Hartford, CT
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Los Angeles, CA
Mayor John DeStefano, Jr.
New Haven, CT
Mayor Michael Bloomberg
New York, NY
Mayor Jerry Sanders
San Diego, CA
Mayor Edwin Lee
San Francisco, CA
Mayor Vincent C. Gray
Washington, DC
Original posting:
We have good marriage equality news today.
The Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA), advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with a 10-8 vote. Please thank the Senators who voted in favor of repealing DOMA: Sen. Leahy (D-VT), Sen. Feinstein (D-CA), Sen Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Durbin (D-IL), Sen. Whitehouse (D-RI), Sen. Klobuchar (D-MN), Sen. Franken (D-MN), Sen. Coons (D-DE), Sen. Blumenthal (D-CT), and Sen. Kohl (D-WI).
Links to their contact info can be found on the Judiciary Committee page.
All the Democrats on the Committee voted Yes, all the Republicans voted No. Those in favor, including Committee Chair, Vermont's own Sen. Patrick Leahy, spoke passionately about the need to end discrimination against married same-sex couples, including legally married couples in VT.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said: "Because I believe as a matter of principle it's the right thing to do. . . . I don't want to be on the wrong side of history on this issue." Sen. Durbin noted that his vote for DOMA in 1996 was wrong.
Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) used personal stories to illustrate how "DOMA hurts families." He said he was proud to sponsor this bill.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) said: "The longer we allow DOMA to stay on our books . . . the longer we say that discrimination is acceptable."
Sen. Blumenthal (D-CT) said that DOMA puts the federal government on the wrong side of history and the wrong side of justice.
Sen. Leahy has showed increasingly strong and good leadership on The Respect for Marriage Act, and he made us proud to be Vermonters today. He deserves a big Thank You.
The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, is set to vote this Thursday, November 10, on The Respect for Marriage Act (S.598).
The Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA) would repeal the discriminatory "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA), allowing the federal government to provide crucial protections and benefits to married same-sex couples. Currently, the federal government is prohibited, by DOMA, from recognizing the legal marriages of same-sex couples in Vermont and other states with civil marriage equality.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Continue reading "Respect for Marriage Act Committee Vote on Thursday, Nov. 10" »
Vermont's Congressman Peter Welch joins 132 U.S. House Democrats in filing an amicus brief against
the "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA) in the consolidated case of Massachusetts v. Dept. of Health and Human Services and Gill vs. Office of Personnel Management.
The landmark case is currently in the First Circuit Court of Appeals after a federal district court found Section 3 of DOMA unconstitutional. The brief disagrees with BLAG’s (the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group) defense of DOMA, and argues that the provision of DOMA that prohibits federal recognition of state same-sex marriages is unconstitutional and should be struck down
The brief states that “the blanket refusal to recognize married same-sex couples for all federal purposes does not rationally serve any legitimate federal interest, but only advances the illegitimate desire to disapprove and disadvantage gay and lesbian couples.”
Continue reading "Thank Vermont's Rep. Welch for signing on to repeal DOMA" »
