At the stroke of midnight, as the date ticked over to Sept. 1st, Vermont's new same-sex marriage law took effect. Some couples took advantage of that timing, with a few getting married right after the stroke of midnight.
Vermont is one of five states that now allow same-sex couples to marry. Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa are the others. New Hampshire's law takes effect on Jan. 1st, 2010.
However, Vermont is the first state to legalize gay marriage through legislation, rather than a judicial ruling. In 2000, Vermont was also the first state to allow civil unions as an alternative to marriage. On April 7, when the state House and state Senate voted 100-49 and 23-5, respectively, to override a veto by the governor.
Strangely, unlike 2000 when there was a rush after civil unions were enacted, there's no torrent of marriage applications. Some feel it's because there are now other states that have enacted same-sex marriage.
Even Ben & Jerry's is marking the occasion. Vermont-based, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream is renaming their “Chubby Hubby” flavor “Hubby Hubby” for the month of September.
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