LGBT communities have been present in the American state of Vermont since the 1970s. Local legislation has granted protections to LGBT residents since the 1980s.
20th century
editBetween the 1960s and 1980s, LGBT life in Vermont was fairly decentralized. LGBT residents would often travel to events out of state, in locales such as Boston, Montreal, or New York City.[2]
1970s
editAndrews Inn in Bellows Falls has been cited as the state's first gay bar. Local resident John Moises, an openly gay man, opened the inn in 1973 in a building that had been owned by his family.[2][3][4] In addition to being a meeting place for local LGBT residents, the inn also served as a stopover point for LGBT travelers going to and from Montreal and Boston.[5] However, the family sold the business to new owners in the late 1970s, after which the bar faced more scrutiny and backlash from the local community. It closed in 1984.[3][4]
The early 1970s also saw lesbian and feminist activism in the state. Daughters, Inc., a women-owned publishing press in Plainfield, published the lesbian novel Rubyfruit Jungle in 1973. Barbara Gittings visited the state to speak with local lesbian groups. In the mid-1970s, lesbian and feminist groups founded Women Against Rape in Burlington. In 1977, around 50 lesbians from Burlington attended the 2nd Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival. The decade also saw a number of small lesbian collectives in the state.[6]
In 1976, the Gay Student Union was founded at the University of Vermont. The group advocated for LGBT rights in the state and hosted social events such as dances and conferences.[2] Coordinated homophobic activism against gays and lesbians in Vermont trailed behind local LGBT groups, some of whom were able to speak at high schools and colleges about their experiences.[6]
Two LGBT publications were released in the state during the decade: Gay in Vermont, beginning in 1972, and Commonwoman, beginning in 1978. Gay in Vermont primarily functioned to spread word about social events, while Commonwoman focused on women's issues and lesbian feminism.[2]
1980s
edit1983 saw the first Pride parade held in the state on June 25. The event, held at City Hall Park in Burlington, was organized by lesbian feminist group Commonwoman and a gay men's group and partially funded by the Boston-based Haymarket People’s Fund. Around 300 people attended.[6][7] The event was publicly backed by the city's mayor, Bernie Sanders, then in his first term.[8] Several local businesses also supported the rally, although overall support was mixed, with several negative letters being sent to newspapers in the lead-up to June 25.[9]
In 1984, Vermonters for Lesbian and Gay Rights was founded.[9]
In 1985, Sanders put a city ordinance into place which prohibited housing discrimination against the "gay community...welfare recipients, the elderly, and the handicapped".[8]
In 1986, the LGBT newspaper Out in the Mountains was founded.[9]
1990s
edit21st century
edit2000s
edit2000 - civil unions
2009 - same-sex marriage
2010s
edit2020s
editIn 2020, Taylor Small was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives, becoming the state's first openly trans legislator.[19]
References
edit- ^ Crowley, Patrick (2023-06-19). "40 years later, planners of Vermont's first Pride march look back on a seminal moment for LGBTQ+ rights". VTDigger. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
- ^ a b c d "Before Pride". Vermont Folklife. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- ^ a b Borden, Elissa (2023-06-21). "Podcast recounts history of Vermont's first gay bar". www.wcax.com. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
- ^ a b Weiss-Tisman, Howard (2023-06-16). "This Pride Month, Bellows Falls residents want to better commemorate a historic gay bar". Vermont Public. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
- ^ O'Farrell, Kate. "Pride in Vermont: how it's evolved and what to expect this month". Burlington Free Press. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
- ^ a b c Luhrs, Peggy (September 2019). "A Short History of the Lesbian Feminist Origins of Gay Liberation in Vermont". www.vermontwoman.com. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- ^ "Roadside Historic Site Marker to Commemorate Pride 1983". Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development. 2022-06-23. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
- ^ a b Tron, Gina (2016-02-29). "Mayor Bernie Sanders Created an '80s Trans Mecca in Burlington". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 2017-07-30. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- ^ a b c "Making Pride". Vermont Folklife. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- ^ Halloran, Liz (March 23, 2013). "How Vermont's 'Civil' War Fueled The Gay Marriage Movement". NPR.
- ^ Dossett, Gordon (2023-09-27). "Stories from the Vermont Queer Archives". Manchester Journal. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
- ^ "In Stunning Civil Rights Victory, VT Court Directs State to Give Same-Sex Couples Marriage Benefits". American Civil Liberties Union. December 20, 1999. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
- ^ "Second Annual Pride Seder Celebrates LGBTQ Jews". Seven Days. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
- ^ "Democrat Becca Balint projected to be Vermont's first woman and openly LGBTQ person in Congress - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
- ^ "With primary win, Becca Balint is likely to be Vermont's first female and openly gay member of Congress". NBC News. 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
- ^ Coleman, Marilyn J.; Ganong, Lawrence H. (2014-09-02). The Social History of the American Family: An Encyclopedia. SAGE Publications. p. 248. ISBN 978-1-4522-8615-0.
- ^ Zind, Steve (2005-10-28). "Project records experiences of Vermont's gay elders". VPR. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
- ^ Bidgood, Jess (2018-08-15). "Christine Hallquist, a Transgender Woman, Wins Vermont Governor's Primary". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
- ^ Srikanth, Anagha (2020-11-04). "Taylor Small becomes Vermont's first transgender legislator". The Hill. Retrieved 2023-12-26.