guest editorial

Marriage:
ow Do We
et There
rom Here?

e Vermont Freedom to Marry Task
Force has argued persuasively in its
three-part series that we must continue
to work toward full equality — marriage
rights — for glb Vermonters. So, how do we
get there from here? It’s an ongoing discus-

sion, and our own thinking, as well as that of '

other leaders in the Vermont freedom to
marry movement, will no doubt continue to
evolve. We welcome your input. For what
it’s worth, our current view is that we need
to focus our collective energies on two
important goals through the coming months
and, perhaps, years:

Rebuild and Retrain The Troops

We learned from Hawaii that marching into
battle before the troops are trained and ready
can be dangerous. As a result, our organizing
in Vermont from ‘I995 to 2000 became a
national model.‘ For nearly two years before
we filed the Baker case, the Vermont
Freedom to Marry Task Force recruited vol-
unteers, trained speakers, produced a video,
sent speakers to churches and civic associa-
tions, organized regional chapters, and began
quietly educating our allies in Montpelier. In
December 1999, when the Vennont Supreme
Court handed down its surprise mixed deci-
sion, we were ready. Although our success in
the statehouse was mixed, there is no doubt
that the reason we were able to accomplish
as much as we did (i.e., the civil union law)
was that we had taken the time to organize,
train, and lay the groundwork.

We’re starting a new chapter now.
Vermont’s a different place; people have
come and gone; and the issues involved in
the transition from civil union to marriage
are different in many ways from the question
of moving from nothing to marriage. We
need to learn from our own successes and
begin vigorously, but patiently, laying the
groundwork (both within our community
and beyond) for the next step.

, The Vermont Freedom to Marry
Task Force, which has led the public educa-
tion effort since 1995, is reinvigorated with

this goal in mind. Get involved! Get trained,
come to a regional meeting, host a gathering,
speak to a local organization, and keep
telling your story to friends, co-workers, and
neighbors. - "
No matter what form the next step

takes — whether a lawsuit or a bill in the leg-
islature— we know it would be a mistake to
jump too soon, before we’ve gotten our
ducks in a row. (We just can’t get away from
ducks — little yellow ones — when it comes
to this issue ....)

Restore a Gay-Friendly Legislature
We don’t need to remind anyone who was
here in 2000 of the mean-spiritedness of the
backlash, or the toll it took on our support in
the statehouse. Anti-civil union forces staged
a dramatic takeover of the House in
November, 2000. As a result, we spent much
of 2001 working hard in the Legislature to
hang on to the civil union law.

. Freedom to marry boosters worked
incredibly hard in the 2002 campaign, and
helped restore the Senate firmly to friendly
hands. We played a role in turning the tide in
the House as well, yielding a House that was
nearly evenly divided between civil union
foes and supporters (though still controlled
by foes).

The 2004 election will be vital. We
have a shot at returning Verrnont’s House to
supportive hands, hanging on to the Senate,
and electing a Governor and Lieutenant
Governor more deeply committed to our
rights. Does this mean that if we can just
win back a few more seats in the
Legislature, we’ll quickly get marriage?
Probably not. We’re still far from a pro-mar-
riage majority in the House, and probably in
the Senate, though the national tide is
turning. '

But the 2004 election is vital for
several reasons: First, all five Vermont
Supreme C our! justices face retention hear-
ings in 2005. It is absolutely essential, both
for us here in Vermont and for the movement
nationally, that these justices remain secure

in theirjobs after their groundbreaking,
albeit quite conservative, Baker decision.
Justices in Oregon, Washington, California,
New York, and New Jersey will be watching
closely (there are marriage cases pending in
all of these states). Our own ability to rely
on the Court in the future to correctly

answer the question it left open in Baker (Do >

same-sex couples have a constitutional right
to a marriage license, in addition to the
other tangible benefits of marriage?)

depends in part on the confidence of the jus- .

tices that they can safely do the right thing.
Second, the possibility of a federal

constitutional amendment that would prohib- »_

it states from recognizing same-sex mar-
riages, as well as civil unions and domestic‘
partnerships, is very real. We might find
ourselves in a ratification struggle here in
Vermont. We need to build the strongest
political position possible in the event that
happens.

, Third, when the time comes — when
the grassroots is organized, trained, and

ready, when we’ve engaged our friends,

neighbors and coworkers, and when it’s time 

to press the issue in the courts or in. the leg-

islature — we know it will be vital to have as X

supportive a legislature as possible.

As November approaches, volun-
teer for the best possible candidates in your
district, or contact Vermont Fund for
Families www.vermontfundforfamilies.org,
to figure out how you can help.

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7”“

Beth Robinson and Susan Murray

Beth Robinson and Susan Murray co-founa'-

ed the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task

F orce in 1995, represented the plaintififs in
Baker v. State, led the lobbying effort that
culminated in the passage of the civil union

law, and ran two political action committees .

dedicated to electing supportive candidates.

t