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Part I

t’s time to look forward, not
Ibackward. lt’s time to stop cele-
brating the civil union law.

A lot has happened in the
last four years since the Baker
Decision. Vermont’s civil union
law was groundbreaking. At the
time it passed, in April 2000, it
shot Vermont to the head of the
American pack with regard to pro-
tections for gay families, and close
to the international lead. For that,
we had reason to be proud and to
celebrate.

Many in our community
will never forget the year 2000, nor
should we, with its turmoil, strug-
gles and celebrations as the legisla-
ture answered the Baker Decision.
But the civil union law resulted
from a painful and difficult com-
promise between genuine equality
and no rights at all. As we celebrat-
ed civil unions in our community
we embraced what we had, instead
of what was missing. The civil
union law embodies “partial equal-
ity” — a concept as bizarre as “par-
tial pregnancy.” Freedom to marry
advocates grudgingly supported the
law only as a first step, but by no
means as the end. The law repre-
sented a step forward from where
we were, but relative to where we
should be, the law still fails woe-
fully short. .
Much has changed since
2000. The entire nation of Canada
will soon join Ontario and British
Columbia in including same sex
couples in marriage — not some

U’s n’t Enough

separate legal category created
specifically for the purpose of
keeping us separate, but marriage.
Canadajoins the Netherlands and
Belgium in this regard. As a result
of the recent Massachusetts high
court decision, beginning in May
of this year, same-sex couples will
begin legally marrying in
Massachusetts.

Another example of how
far we have come can be seen in
Massachusetts. Massachusetts
Governor Mitt Romney is taking a
position very similar to that taken
by Governor Howard Dean in
Vermont. He advocated for a pro-
posed “civil union” alternative,
while working hard to exclude
same-sex couples from marriage.
Governor Dean waserevered by
many in the gay community for his
stance in Vermont, while Governor
Romney is rightly being acknowl-
edged as a foe of our civil rights.
How much the ground has shified.
Now, just four years later, civil
unions no longer represent a step

  
 

   

forward. They are the fallback
offering of anti-gay orjust politi-
cally cowardly politicians who i
can’t bear the thought of a true
breakthrough for gay equality on --
their watch.

We in Vermont carried
the torch for several years, espe-
cially in 2000. Now the national
debate around gay marriage has
passed us by. As gay rights oppo-
nents in other states point to
Vermont, seeking to adopt the civil
union law as a ceiling, rather than
a floor, they must know that we
here in Vermont aren’t finished.
The conversation won’t be over
until the choices available to us are
genuinely equal. Whether you
believe in the institution of mar-
riage or not, we have the right to
the choice!V

Sherry Corbin is the chairwoman
of the Vermont Freedomlto Marry
Task F orce. This is the first in a
three part series. In next month is
installment, the Vermont Freedom
to Marry Task F orce discusses the
intangible harms of the civil ztnibit
law. In the third part, to be pub-
lished in May, the Task Force
describes the specific ways in
which the civil union law falls
short.

Sarah Harrington, a realtor

dedicated to our community!

- Mountain Pride Media - Board Member ’99, ’00

° Pride Committee - Silent Auction ’98, ’99, ’00

° Rainbow Business Association - President ’98

0 RU12 — Annual Dinner — Silent Auction Co—Chair ‘O3
' Samara Foundation — Board Member ‘04

Call Sarah if you’re buying or selling your home.

WK North Professionals
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655-3333 X30