Huzzah, Vermont!

[celandineb]

Vermont Legalizes Gay Marriage With Veto Override

This is extra-cool because it is the legislature, rather than the courts, so the twerps who yammer about an activist judiciary not reflecting the true will of the people have not a leg to stand on. Yay!

Comments

[ciel_vert]

AMAZING! I know that slippery slope is a logical fallacy, but I hope it proves otherwise for this. 4 down, 46 more to go!

[celandineb]

Yep! Step by step, it'll happen!

[azalaisdep]

Take that, California :-)

The Resident Geek and I do occasionally mull over the theoretical possibility of ever emigrating to the States, and whenever I start looking at some of the basic civil rights etc Vermont quickly ends up at the top of a very short list of states I think I'd be prepared to consider. I'm always intrigued - what is it that makes this particular little corner of the northeastern seaboard such a refreshing oasis of liberalism?

[celandineb]

I really have no idea - Vermont's neighbors are not noticeably more liberal than average, after all. I've never lived closer to there than western Pennsylvania, so I've not experienced the local attitudes directly.

[azalaisdep]

Just realised that I didn't really mean seaboard, since Vermont isn't on the coast - that's my rubbish US geography for you.

According to Wikipedia, Vermont's Constitution of 1777 was "the first to abolish the institution of slavery, provide for universal manhood suffrage and require support of public schools." So clearly the liberality goes back a long way...

[telperion1]

I do not know how widespread this tendency is, but a classmate who is from Montpellier (VT's capital) told me that there is a real cultural trend towards liberalism.

Her perception is that her state was settled by adventurers, and adventurers are more likely to be open to new ideas by their nature. VT was settled, not by religious groups or political refugees or even by capitalists from Europe, but by settlers from Massachusetts that wanted to live on the frontier, for the economic opportunities and all. Very much like the Midwest. But unlike the Midwest, VT is also a part of New England and so is unlikely to see themselves as the "real America" in opposition to city-dwellers. It's a mix that makes liberalism more palatable.

Incidentally, said friend is bisexual, and while she's engaged to a man she does view herself as not heterosexual and takes homophobia as a personal insult; so she is literally on cloud nine that her state has affirmed this part of who she is. (I'm very happy about it, too.)

[telperion1]

*cheers* with Vermont! This really is great. News like this reminds me that there are sane people out there who Get It - even if there aren't nearly enough of them.

[celandineb]

I gather there's a similar upcoming bill in New Hampshire, too. *g*