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MONTPELIER — The six GLBT Vermonters suing the state for the right to marry are being honored for their efforts — by a part of the Vermont state government.
On July 8, Nina Beck and Stacy Jolles will accept an award from the Vermont Governor's Commission on Women on behalf of Stan Baker, Peter Harrigan, Lois Farnham, and Holly Puterbaugh, their co-plaintiffs in Baker v. State. The ceremony is part of the annual convention of the National Association of Commissions for Women being held in Boston.
"These Vermonters deserve special recognition for their courage, commitment and willingness to open their private lives to public scrutiny for what is simply a civil rights issue," said Judith Sutphen, the commission's executive director. "It is human nature to love, and it is a human right to be in a long-term committed relationship recognized by the state. Same gender couples share the same responsibilities and commitment as married couples, yet they are denied many of the benefits granted to heterosexual married couples."
According to Beth Robinson, co-counsel for the plaintiffs, the State is trying to justify its discrimination in marriage on the basis of gender. The commission is concerned that enforcing predestined roles for men and women in marriage threatens the equal status of men and women in society.
This is not the first time the 16-member commission has publicly voiced its disagreement with the state over this issue. In 1996, it unanimously adopted a policy supporting same-sex marriage.
