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VERMONT'S FORUM FOR LESBIAN. GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER ISSUES

 
  

'7'   Volume XI I,

 

Number 6

September 1997

Marriage Battle Moves to Green Mountains

Meet the Plaintiffs: back row — Lois Purnham, Peter Harrigan, Stan
Baker, Nina Beck. front row — Holly Puterbaugh, Noah Iolles, Stacy
Iolles

 

-Three couples
sue the state for
the right to marry

BY CHRISTOPHER Moss

COLCHESTER — Three
couples took what some
people see as the next step for-
ward and others see as an un-
fortunate step back when they
took to the courts their fight for
legal recognition of their rela-
tionships to the same extent
that the government encour-
ages and honors heterosexual
relationships.

The three couples, Stan
Baker and Peter Harrigan of
Shelburne, Nina Beck and
Stacy Jolles of South
Burlington, and Lois Farnham
and Holly Puterbaugh, of
Milton sued the State of Ver-

mont for discrimination
against them for refusing to
grant marriage licenses.

The couples are being
represented by Susan Murray
and Beth Robinson from the
law firm of Langrock, Sperry
«S: Wool in Middlebury, as well
as Mary Bonauto of Gay and
Lesbian Advocate and Defend-
ers, (GLAD), a Boston-based
law firm created to defend the
rights of gays and lesbians.
According to a statement from
the lawyers, ”the refusal to al-
low our clients to marry vio-
lates both state marriage laws
and the state Constitution,
which require that all citizens
and families have the same ac-
cess to the legal protections
and obligationsof civil mar-
riage.” Further, ”marriage is a
fundamental, individual per-
sonal choice, which should be
available to all Vermonters.”

The’Attorney General,
William Sorrell, has stated that
he is going by the 1973 Attor-
ney General decision to forbid
such marriages, and has told
the press that this issue should
be decided by the legislature.
Governor Dean, on the other
hand, while not taking a posi-
tion on the issue, called it ”an
emotional issue” and ex-
pressed that it belonged in the
courts.

The law suit is a second
judicial front in the same sex
marriage battle. For three
years now a similar case has
been making its way through
the Hawaii courts. On the leg-
islative front the battle is less
optimistic. Twenty five states
have already outlawed same
sex marriage, and DOMA, the
defense of marriage act de-

MARR|AGE,19

Curtse Seats:

 

St. Iohnsbury
Installs Gay
Minister

ST. IOHNSBURY — On Sun-
day, September 14 at 4 p.m.
Rev. Brendan Hadash will be
installed as minister of the Uni-
versalist Church in St.
Johnsbury, Vermont. Previ-
ously, Hadash served churches
in Derby Line and West Burke,
Vermont and in North Hatley,
Quebec. ‘

Hadash has long been
active in, the gay and lesbian
community in Vermont. He is
the founder of VOWS (Ver-
mont Organization for Wed-
dings of the Same Gender), a
group of clergy and religious
leaders in favor of gays and
lesbians having the choice to
marry. In 1995 he spoke and
performed the “mass wed-
ding” at the Vermont pride
march. From 1988 to 1990 he
was board secretary of Ver-
mont CARES. He also has co-
ordinated a gay men's social
group.

"I am very excited to
have been calledyas minister of

GAY M|N|STER,v~‘p19