The Vermont legislature gave final approval to same-sex civil unions last week and Governor Howard Dean quickly signed the bill into law. I’m sure you’ve heard. It takes effect July first, income and insurance benefits kick in at the first of the year. Two non-related people, 18 or older, may enter civil union by getting a license from their town clerk, just like a wedding license. It costs 20 bucks. A member of the clergy can perform the ceremony, or a judge, or a justice of the peace. Members of the clergy are also free to not perform the ceremony; again, just like marriage. The law is unclear when it comes to the role of ship’s captains, so if you’re planning to hire an excursion boat for your big day, you might want to have the legalities settled on shore.
Once civilly joined, you and your beloved will be entitled to all the benefits, protections and responsibilities of married couples, including hospital visitation, medical decisions, the right to claim a body and family leave. If you split up, you’ll go through divorce court, just as if you were getting a divorce. And yes, you have some responsibility for your beloved’s debts.
There it is – pretty simple, huh? When I write it down on a piece of paper and look at it, it’s hard to imagine what all the fuss was about, but there was fuss, and there is fuss and there will be more fuss in the days and weeks ahead. The radios and newspapers in the Green Mountain Republic have been full of fuss since the first of the year. I won’t bother repeating it, except to say there is an undercurrent in the fuss no one has spoken of. The Civil Unions Law, like any landmark court decision or piece of legislation, not only represents the facts at hand, but also measures the temperature of society. When I hear “Brown vs. Board of Education” or “Brady Bill”, I don’t just think of specific issues, I think of America going through a growth spurt. Like any growth spurt, it’s painful and it’s awkward and it takes a while to adjust to the change. I think that’s one reason the opposition to civil unions has been so fierce and so seemingly illogical. For Vermont, it means the political scale is tipping more heavily toward the progressive values associated with “flatlanders” who moved here from elsewhere and against the conservatism that once was Vermont’s trademark.
Nationally – we have not yet begun to fuss. According to the Full Faith and Credit provision of the Constitution (Article 4, Section 1), a civil union contract made in Vermont must be honored by every other state. Regardless of the “Defense of Marriage” laws passed by states or in Congress, if you and your partner come here to get hitched, you’re still hitched when you get home. Marriage – and divorce – laws have always varied from state to state. That’s why people used to go to Reno (the city, not the attorney general) to get divorced.
What’s not clear is exactly what that means when you get home. If a same-sex couple comes to Vermont and enters a civil union, do other states have to offer the same rights and protections as Vermont? Some will argue it’s like a driver’s license; Minnesota may not think you’re fit to drive, but if Vermont issues you a license, you can drive in Minnesota. Some will say it’s like the drinking age – Vermont can pass a law allowing 18-year-olds to buy alcohol, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get served in Minneapolis. Everyone agrees this will become a federal case, and it will go to the Supreme Court and nothing will be settled until it does.
But for now, it’s spring. The buds are out on the trees, we think we’ve seen the last of the snow and the days are getting warm and long. Now that civil union is law, the legislature is scurrying to finish all other state business and adjourn.
I’m taking a rare opportunity to stand up and applaud my elected officials. Well done, you should be proud.
All the Fuss
The Vermont legislature gave final approval to same-sex civil unions last week and Governor Howard Dean quickly signed the bill into law. I’m sure you’ve heard. It takes effect July first, income and insurance benefits kick in at the first of the year. Two non-related people, 18 or older, may enter civil union by getting a license from their town clerk, just like a wedding license. It costs 20 bucks. A member of the clergy can perform the ceremony, or a judge, or a justice of the peace. Members of the clergy are also free to not perform the ceremony; again, just like marriage. The law is unclear when it comes to the role of ship’s captains, so if you’re planning to hire an excursion boat for your big day, you might want to have the legalities settled on shore.
Once civilly joined, you and your beloved will be entitled to all the benefits, protections and responsibilities of married couples, including hospital visitation, medical decisions, the right to claim a body and family leave. If you split up, you’ll go through divorce court, just as if you were getting a divorce. And yes, you have some responsibility for your beloved’s debts.
There it is – pretty simple, huh? When I write it down on a piece of paper and look at it, it’s hard to imagine what all the fuss was about, but there was fuss, and there is fuss and there will be more fuss in the days and weeks ahead. The radios and newspapers in the Green Mountain Republic have been full of fuss since the first of the year. I won’t bother repeating it, except to say there is an undercurrent in the fuss no one has spoken of. The Civil Unions Law, like any landmark court decision or piece of legislation, not only represents the facts at hand, but also measures the temperature of society. When I hear “Brown vs. Board of Education” or “Brady Bill”, I don’t just think of specific issues, I think of America going through a growth spurt. Like any growth spurt, it’s painful and it’s awkward and it takes a while to adjust to the change. I think that’s one reason the opposition to civil unions has been so fierce and so seemingly illogical. For Vermont, it means the political scale is tipping more heavily toward the progressive values associated with “flatlanders” who moved here from elsewhere and against the conservatism that once was Vermont’s trademark.
Nationally – we have not yet begun to fuss. According to the Full Faith and Credit provision of the Constitution (Article 4, Section 1), a civil union contract made in Vermont must be honored by every other state. Regardless of the “Defense of Marriage” laws passed by states or in Congress, if you and your partner come here to get hitched, you’re still hitched when you get home. Marriage – and divorce – laws have always varied from state to state. That’s why people used to go to Reno (the city, not the attorney general) to get divorced.
What’s not clear is exactly what that means when you get home. If a same-sex couple comes to Vermont and enters a civil union, do other states have to offer the same rights and protections as Vermont? Some will argue it’s like a driver’s license; Minnesota may not think you’re fit to drive, but if Vermont issues you a license, you can drive in Minnesota. Some will say it’s like the drinking age – Vermont can pass a law allowing 18-year-olds to buy alcohol, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get served in Minneapolis. Everyone agrees this will become a federal case, and it will go to the Supreme Court and nothing will be settled until it does.
But for now, it’s spring. The buds are out on the trees, we think we’ve seen the last of the snow and the days are getting warm and long. Now that civil union is law, the legislature is scurrying to finish all other state business and adjourn.
I’m taking a rare opportunity to stand up and applaud my elected officials. Well done, you should be proud.
Tomorrow it’s back to adversity.