Washington, DC
- Today, the Stonewall Democrats issued the following statement in
response to the enactment of marriage legislation by the Vermont
General Assembly:
"Stonewall Democrats applauds the Vermont General Assembly for enacting
legislation granting all Vermonters the freedom to marry. Stonewall
Democrats placed hundreds of calls to the eleven Democrats who, just
days ago, voted against the freedom to marry. We are pleased that
Democratic Representatives Debbie Evans, Bob South and Jeff Young listened to their constituents, changed their votes, and put the values of pro-equality Democrats in practice.
We congratulate the Democratic Leadership for building consensus around
this common-sense position. The freedom to marry is a position
supported by the majority of statewide elected officials, the Vermont
Democratic Party and leading state figures like Governor Howard Dean.
Stonewall Democrats continues to build Democratic support for the
freedom to marry in communities across the country. Our members do the
hard work of electing pro-equality Democrats to public office, holding
them accountable once in office and educating the Democratic Party on
issues of equality. Because of the work of Stonewall Democrats across
the country, we can expect to see even more victories like the one
today in Vermont."
- Jon Hoadley, Executive Director, Stonewall Democrats
This morning, the Vermont Senate and House of Representatives
successfully voted to override the veto of Republican Governor Jim
Douglas of Senate Bill 115. The Senate voted with 23 in favor of the
override and five against. The House voted of 100 in favor of the
override and 49 against. This guarantees all Vermonters the freedom to
marry. This was the third time that a Republican Governor had vetoed
marriage legislation passed by a Democratic legislature that would have
allowed same-sex couples the freedom to marry. In California,
Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger twice vetoed similar
legislation passed by the California legislature.
Stonewall Democrats continue to build support for the freedom to marry
in addition to working on broader pro-equality positions. In Wyoming,
the organization worked with the newly-organizing Wyoming Stonewall
Democrats earlier this year to help Democrats stop an anti-marriage
ballot initiative introduced in the state legislature. In
Massachusetts, the Bay State Stonewall Democrats played a key role in
building Democratic support for marriage legislation enacted in 2004.
And just this week in Iowa, two Stonewall Democrats - Kate and Trish
Varnum - won a landmark decision by the Iowa Supreme Court (Varnum V. Brien)
that recognized the rights of all Iowans to marry. Stonewall Democrats
is continuing its work in Iowa by aiding statewide advocates like One
Iowa to build support for the Democratic Leadership of the Iowa House
and Senate who continue to stand against an onslaught of
special-interest attacks from the far Right.
Over the weekend, Stonewall Democrats initiated a member campaign to
build pressure on Vermont Democratic legislators to override the veto
of Republican Governor Jim Douglas. Hundreds of members participated.
The organization coupled this campaign with an action to build the
crucial support needed to preserve the freedom to marry in Iowa. With
the override of the veto of Governor Douglas, Stonewall Democrats will
now use this campaign to organize the voices of pro-equality Democrats
in support of the actions of Democratic leaders in Iowa and Vermont.
With more than 120 local chapters, including two in Iowa, the Stonewall
Democrats is the national organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender (LGBT) and allied Democrats. Stonewall Democrats works to
elect pro-equality Democrats to public office and improve the
Democratic Party on issues important to pro-equality Americans.
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