Rep. Marion Milne, a grandmother from central Vermont, said the offensive and hateful phone calls she received from people urging her to vote against the bill had exactly the opposite effect. They showed me why this legislation is so important, Milne said during the final House debate. It is time to pass this bill. The constitution requires it. History requires it.
Conscience requires it.
Of course, plenty of lawmakers looked at their consciences, looked at history, and decided there was no way in hell they could support a bill that treated gays and lesbians the same as a married couple. My definition of marriage, in my mind, is a union between a man and a woman, said Thomas DePoy, a Republican representative from the once-thriving industrial city of Rutland. This is a bad bill. I believe that it does infringe on traditional marriage. It is a poor, rural state dotted with tiny, insular towns that are just a few hours drive from major cities like Boston and Montreal.