If you had any uncertainty about where TJ Donovan stands on gay rights you can put those doubts aside.
In honor of July Fourth and the nation’s celebration of constitutional and civil rights, Donovan, the young upstart who is challenging incumbent Bill Sorrell in the Democratic primary race for Vermont attorney general, has declared his unstinting support for marriage equality.
Never mind that gay marriage has been the rule of the land in Vermont since 2009, the majority of Vermonters support the law, and it’s unlikely that state legislation on the settled legal matter will be taken up again any time soon.
Donovan has set his sights on the national scene where the issue is far from settled. He wants to publicly endorse gay marriage at a time when couples who wed in the Green Mountains face discrimination when they return home because other states and the federal government don’t recognize their rights as conferred by Vermont law. He released a statement to the press on Tuesday exhorting Congress and the federal courts to give the full rights of citizenship to gay Americans.
Here’s an excerpt from his statement:
Federal law withholds from some married people the rights it grants others. For example, federal law prevents same-sex married couples from filing joint federal tax returns, which can lessen tax burdens. Federal law prevents the surviving or divorced spouse of a same-sex marriage from collecting Social Security benefits on an equal basis enjoyed by other married persons.
Should Donovan become attorney general, he would use the position as a bully pulpit for the expansion of gay rights in other states and help other attorney generals build national support for “efforts to ensure equal rights and equal protection for all Vermonters.”
Donovan cites the May 31 decision by the First Circuit Court of Appeals that “federal law unconstitutionally discriminates against full citizenship for all adults.” He expects gay marriage rights to be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court in the next session, and he says he would do anything in his power (amicus brief, anyone?) to support a decision that would uphold Vermont’s law.
Ryan Emerson, Donovan’s campaign manager, says what Vermonters are looking for is an attorney general who is as outspoken on issues of civil rights as Gov. Peter Shumlin is. Unlike the governor, however, Donovan has no plans to seek large donations from gay rights activists from out of state, Emerson said.
Donovan was unavailable for comment (and didn’t appear in the Montpelier July Fourth parade) for personal reasons. His wife, Jess, is due to deliver their second child.
