Vermont yesterday became the fourth state to sanction gay marriage when lawmakers voted to override a veto by the governor. It is the first state to legalise gay marriage with a legislature's vote rather than through a court ruling.

The House recorded a dramatic 100-49 vote the minimum needed to override Governor Jim Douglas' veto. Its vote followed a much easier override vote in the Senate, which rebuffed the Republican governor with a vote of 23-5. Vermont was the first state to legalise civil unions for same-sex couples and joins Connecticut, Massachusetts and Iowa in giving gays the right to marry.