Vermont governor says he'd veto same-sex marriage bill

Vermont Gov. James Douglas announced Wednesday that he plans to veto a bill that would grant same-sex couples equal rights in marriage, if the bill reaches his desk. The same-sex marriage bill passed 26-4 in the state Senate on Monday; the House was in hearings on the matter this week.

Sandy Cote-Whitacre, 63, and her spouse, Bobbi Cote-Whitacre, 62, said they have waited 42 years -- the time they have been partners -- for the vote. "We have been together for so long and this means so much to us," said Bobbi Cote-Whitacre, who expressed disappointment at the governor's announced intention to veto the same-sex marriage bill. The couple was joined in a civil union in Vermont in 2000, shortly after the state passed the nation's first civil-union law. Bobbi Cote-Whitacre's mother, then 89 years old, walked the couple down the aisle.

The House, which is expected to vote this week, would need to approve the bill by a two-thirds majority to override the governor's threatened veto. Meanwhile, the Cote-Whitacres and Vermont Freedom to Marry have launched a television advertising campaign to promote the bill. Whatever the outcome, Sandy Cote-Whitacre said she and her spouse are willing to be patient.
"We are going to keep at it even if we have to go down the aisle with walkers," she said.