term, Gov. James Douglas (R)

agreed to an interview with Out
in the Mountains at his Montpelier
oflice. The interview covered a broad
range of issues, including gay mar-
riage and civil unions, medical mari-
juana, Gay Pride Day, and making
gay and lesbian ‘appointments.
Excerpts from the interview follow.

J ust over one year into his first

OITM: Shortly afier the Supreme
Judicial Court s decision legalizing
gay marriages in Massachusetts you
said you opposed amending the U.S.
Constitution to prohibit gay mar-

riage. How did you come to this
decision?

Douglas: I think each state can
decide for itself how it wants to han-
dle the issue. Vermont made a deci-
sion four years ago after our own
Supreme Court decision and I think
most Vermonters have come to
accept the civil union statute that was
enacted that year. I don t see the
need for an amendment to the U.S.
Constitution.

OITM: Will you discuss your oppo-
sition [to the Federal Marriage

Amendment] with President Bush?

Douglas: I don t know if that will
come up. We have a lot of things to
talk about when we meet with him. I
expect that matters of education,
human service programs and fund-
ing, homeland security, and other
matters might be higher on every-
body s agenda.

OITM: Amendments to the
Vermont Constitution declaring
same-sex marriage illegal have been
introduced by Sens. Canns (R- -‘
Caledonia), Maynard (R-Rutland),
Hull (R-Rutland), Mayo (R-

Caledonia), and Shepard (R-
Bennington). What is your position
on these amendments?

Douglas: I don t see the need for
those proposals. The statute that
passed four years ago when we
enacted the civil union law restated
the statutory definition of marriage

as‘ the union of a man and a woman. _

That s suflicient as far as I am con-
cerned. The Governor has no role
in constitutional amendments.
Obviously I could weigh in, but I
don t have the role that I do in
legislation.

 

 

OlTM’s Paul Olsen interviews Vermont’s Republican Governor Jim Douglas

OITM: State Rep. David
Zuckerrnan (P-Burlington) intro-
duced a bill (H.676) that would
change existing civil unions to same-
sex marriages in Vennont. What is
your opinion of H.676?

Douglas: When Dave introduced it
he admitted that it was an antidote to
the constitutional amendment pro-
posal in the (state) senate, so I dont
know how serious he is in advancing
it this session. I think we ought to
leave the status quo alone. That s
where most Vermonters would like to
see the policy on same-sex unions. I

“The civil union law restated the statutory definition of marriage
as the union of a maniand a woman. That's sufficient as far as-I

am concerned.” Governor Jim Douglas