And then there were four. Hot on the heels of their Midwestern brethren, the state of Vermont has legalized gay marriage, and become the first state to do so by the vote of the legislature instead of judicial ruling. The Vermont legislature overrode the governor’s veto of a gay marriage with a tense vote of 100-49. To override the veto, two-thirds of the representatives needed to support gay marriage. They got there by one vote, cast by Scott Young, who had voted against the original bill last week. (Here is the only thing we could find online about his position, a response to a letter he wrote defending his vote against gay marriage. Apparently, he had a change of heart.)What’s next for gay marriage? New Hampshire, which allows civil unions, has a gay marriage bill before its state senate that has already passed through the House, which could potentially keep up this impressive momentum. You have to imagine that Maine and Rhode Island, the two other New England states that don’t allow gay marriage, are going to be serious targets. Gay marriage bills are also up for votes soon in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, and Washington, though none looks that hopeful.
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