Vermont Starts Gay Unions

July 3, 2000 — -- Lois Farnham and Holly Puterbaugh today said they are happy to be among the very first same-sex couples in the country to be legally joined in a ceremony similar to marriage.

“Since Saturday, I can now introduce Holly as my spouse,” Farnham told ABCNEWS' "Good Morning America."

Farnham and Puterbaugh of South Burlington, Vt., were among the first couples to allow the state to join legally in a civil union. Technically, they’re not marriages, but civil unions will give gays and lesbian couples many of the same rights, benefits and responsibilities of marriage.

“We will now be legally related,” says Farnham, 54, a school nurse supervisor. “We can sign for each other on important documents. At the hospital, we will be responsible for each other’s deaths. Many places also offer discounts to couples that we will now be eligible for.

“After 27 1/2 years, it’s nice to be able to call someone your spouse,” she adds.

Dozens of same-sex couples were expected to be united under the Vermont law — the first of its kind in the United States.

It’s being hailed as a landmark event by gay-rights groups nationwide, and celebrated by others as well. In fact, the municipal hall in Brattleboro, Vt., was open right after midnight this morning to grant civil union licenses as early as possible.

But Michelle Cummings, the president of Take it to the People, which opposes the state’s new stance on civil unions, said other routes could have been created for the couples rather than the recognition of civil unions.

“We believe that traditional marriage is the best option for marriage,” Cummings told Good Morning America. “We believe they could have obtained those rights and benefits without the creation of of parallel marriage.”

Farnham disagreed.

“I understand why they object to it,” Farnham told Good Morning America. “I don’t understand how Holly and I being legally connected can interfere with a heterosexual couple’s marriage.”