PHILADELPHIA -- Vermont Gov. Howard Dean said Saturday that if elected president he would recognize the marriage rights of same-sex couples.
Dean said he would not propose a federal law to give gay and lesbian couples the right to get married, but he would advocate that the federal government recognize state laws that granted gays and lesbians the rights and benefits of marriage.
"As president of the United States, I will recognize civil unions, which will then allow full equality under the law as far as the federal government is concerned," Dean said in a speech to the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association convention in Philadelphia.
Vermont is the only state in the country that formally recognizes relationships of gay and lesbian couples. Through a pact known as civil unions, passed by the Legislature in 2000, the state grants same-sex couples all the rights and benefits of marriage that are conferred by state government.
Dean made a point of saying that Vermont has not passed what is commonly referred to as gay marriage, emphasizing that civil unions are a parallel, but separate, institution. Nonetheless, the law does confer state benefits to same-sex couples, such as state tax advantages and health care and inheritance rights.
"We have full civil marriage rights (for gays and lesbians), we just don't call it marriage," Dean said.
Dean, who is retiring as governor in January after 11 years and is running for president, said it was not the federal government's role to become involved in marriage statutes. But if individual states follow Vermont's lead and create what amounts to marriage contracts for same-sex couples, the federal government should recognize them.
"What I am not going to do is tell every state they have to pass civil unions," he said.
Dean's position essentially would undo a law known as the Defense of Marriage Act. That law, passed during the Clinton administration, prohibits the federal government from recognizing marriages between any couples except one man and one woman.
Dean said that as president he would not be able to undo that law without the approval of Congress. But he said he would encourage Congress to repeal it and recognize gay and lesbian relationships.
Dean also said that as president, he would allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the U.S. military.
Federal recognition of same-sex relationships could be significant. Roughly 1,000 benefits flow to married couples from the federal government, including immigration rights, tax advantages and insurance.
