At midnight, a couple exchanges vows
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Claire Williams, right, and Cori Giroux are married at the stroke of midnight in South Bulington Vermont Tuesday Sept. 1, 2009, on the first day that Vermont's marriage equality law went into effect. The wedding was officiated by Atty. Beth Robinson,left, head of the Vermont Freedom to Marry Taskforce. AP Photo |
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By DANIEL BARLOW Vermont Press Bureau - Published: September 1, 2009
SOUTH BURLINGTON – And with a kiss that came a minute after the stroke of midnight, they were wed.
Surrounded by a small group of 20 people in their Chittenden County home, Claire Williams and Cori Giroux became one of the first same-sex Vermont couples to marry under a new state law that began Sept. 1.
"With this ring, I join with you in civil marriage," said Giroux.
The small ceremony, held in the living room of their home in this quiet residential neighborhood, featured tears of joy and pronouncements of love. The only difference between this and a traditional wedding was that the couple were two women.
Williams and Giroux met at a friend's party in Baltimore five years ago and hit it off quickly (Williams said the host of the party knew Giroux wouldn't know anyone at the gathering and asked her to be friendly to her).
Two years later, the two "wed" at a commitment ceremony in Baltimore before a host of friends and family. To them, this event, whether one could legally call it a wedding or not, was a wedding. They spend months planning the event and bought each other rings.
"We think of that day as our wedding," said Williams, who added that even when the couple got a civil union in Vermont two years ago, they saw the commitment ceremony as their true wedding day. "There was six to eight months worth of planning going in to that day."
Soon after they made their commitment to each other, the couple decided to move away from the big city (when they met, Williams lived in Washington, D.C. and Giroux lived in Baltimore). Vermont was the top of their list of places to move to as they both had enjoyed visiting Burlington.
"It was on kind of a whim," Williams explained. "I just said one day, 'Why don't we move to Burlington?' So, we started our job search."
Vermont's history of protecting the rights of gays and lesbians and its reputation for social tolerance were factors in moving here, the couple said. Williams now works for one of the state colleges and Giroux works for the state's public school system.
The couple got a civil union in 2007 – mostly for the benefits, including so that both of them could be under the same health insurance plan. The couple said it felt risky living in a state that didn't recognize their legal rights.
"I owned the house … and I always worried, what if something happened to me?" Williams said. "Would Cori get the house? What would happen to her? It was scary."
They never imagined that two years after their civil union that Vermont would take the bold step forward and legalize civil marriage for same-sex couples. They knew activists and lawmakers were considering the legislation, but the reality that it would pass seemed too far-fetched two years ago.
Back in March, the reality that a same-sex marriage bill could actually pass the Vermont Legislature took hold. The two began talking about their own wedding plans ("It was never a question that we would do it," Williams said). And they decided that the ceremony would be small and they would try to do as soon as they could.
This led to the Aug. 31 Monday ceremony, an event that started with a party early in the evening, and culminated in a wedding ceremony that started 15 minutes before midnight. Beth Robinson, the savvy Burlington attorney who was instrumental in lobbying lawmakers to pass both 2000's civil union law and this year's civil marriage law, officiated.
"The fact that we have overcome these obstacles is a testament to our fellow Vermonters," said Robinson.
Shortly after the day officially became Sept. 1, Williams and Giroux were married, a legal bond that – at least in the eyes of the state – is as valid as the marriage of straight couples in Vermont.
Williams and Giroux went traditional for this ceremony; the time-honored wedding vows were spoken and the two exchanged rings (the same jewelry they used in their commitment ceremony several years ago).
"This is a really special day … although it is different than our commitment ceremony," Williams explained. "For us, this was taking part in a new right that had long been denied us."
Contact Daniel.Barlow@timesargus.com.
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