When Vermont became the first state to legalize civil unions for gay and lesbian couples nine years ago, the eyes of the nation were watching. And the national spotlight shone on the Green Mountain State again yesterday.
The first for Vermont this time was a same sex marriage bill passed not by court order as it was in Massachusetts, Connecticut and most recently Iowa, but by an act of legislature that survived a gubernatorial veto.
But will that action have ripple effects beyond Vermont’s borders? Gregory Johnson believes it will. Johnson is an expert in sexual orientation and the law, and Director of the Legal Writing Program at Vermont Law School in South Royalton.