 Hi, I'm Matt Baume at the American Foundation for Equal Rights, and welcome to a special episode of Marriage News Watch for September 1, 2012. Three years ago today, Vermont became the fourth state in the country where gay and lesbian couples have the freedom to marry. On this third anniversary, let's take a moment to look back at how that happened and what's happened since. The freedom to marry had its first major leap forward in the year 2000, when the state became the first to recognize civil unions. The Vermont Supreme Court had ruled that gay and lesbian couples are entitled to the same benefits and protections as opposite sex couples. And in response, then Governor Howard Dean signed a civil unions bill into law. That went a long way towards protecting families in Vermont, but it still wasn't equality. It wasn't until 2009 that a Senate committee unanimously recommended legalizing marriage. The House and Senate quickly passed a marriage bill that Governor Jim Douglas then vetoed. We were just five votes shy of overriding his veto. And then sure enough, five legislators stepped up and voted to override. The bill passed by one single vote, and marriages commenced. The Williams Institute estimated that in those first three years, marriage will mean an extra $30.6 million for Vermont's economy and 700 new jobs. And public support has remained strong. A survey last year showed that 58 percent of residents are glad marriage is legal. That's up from 53 percent in 2009 and 40 percent who supported us in 2004. Of course, work still isn't over. The federal government doesn't recognize the marriages of the thousands of gay and lesbian couples who have married in Vermont. That's why AFER remains committed to bringing about full federal marriage equality for all Americans. Visit us over at AFER.org for more on our case and to help us expand the freedom to marry from coast to coast. At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I'm Matt Baume. Thanks for watching.