Marriage Equality Act (Vermont)

The Marriage Equality Act (Vermont), formally Act 1 of 2009, legalized same-sex marriage in the state of Vermont. It was passed by the Vermont General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Jim Douglas on April 7, 2009. The act took effect on September 1, 2009.

Prior to the passage of the Marriage Equality Act, Vermont had established civil unions for same-sex couples in 2000, granting them many of the same rights and responsibilities as married heterosexual couples under state law. However, civil unions did not provide federal recognition or the social recognition afforded by marriage.

The Marriage Equality Act repealed the civil union law and extended the right to marry to same-sex couples. This made Vermont the first state in the United States to legalize same-sex marriage through legislative action, rather than through a court ruling. The act included a provision that recognized existing civil unions as marriages unless the couple chose to remain in a civil union.

The passage of the Marriage Equality Act in Vermont was the result of years of advocacy by LGBTQ+ rights organizations and activists. The debate surrounding the legislation was extensive, involving public hearings, legislative debates, and significant media coverage. Supporters argued that marriage equality was a matter of equal rights and justice, while opponents raised concerns about the impact on traditional marriage and religious freedom.

The law solidified the legal rights and protections afforded to same-sex couples in Vermont and contributed to the national movement towards marriage equality, ultimately culminating in the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.