Vermont governor presides over lesbians’ marriage

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Making good on a campaign promise, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin married a lesbian couple in a small ceremony in his office.

The first-term Democrat presided over the marriage Wednesday of 55-year-old Michele “Mitch” Beck and 56-year-old Ann Beck, of Royalton. Shumlin led the push to legalize same-sex weddings in Vermont as a state lawmaker in 2009.

Shumlin met the couple at a campaign event when he was running for governor last summer and told them he’d be happy to perform their wedding ceremony if he were elected.

He paid $100 to the Secretary of State’s office to be certified as a “temporary officiant,” donned a crisp navy suit and did the honors.