Vermont Legalizes Civil Unions
The Vermont Supreme Court had ruled, in Baker v. Vermont, on December 20, 1999, that same-sex couples were entitled under the Vermont Constitution to the same benefits as heterosexual couples. The legislature on this day responded by legalizing civil unions.
On April 7, 2009, the legislature fully legalized same-sex marriage by overriding a veto by the state’s governor.
On June 26, 2015, in Obergefell v. Hudson, the Supreme Court declared that same-sex marriage was constitutional in the entire United States under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Read about the landmark Supreme Court case: Debbie Cenziper and Jim Obergefell, Love Wins: The Lovers and Lawyers Who Fought the Landmark Case for Marriage Equality (2016)
Read about the history of the GLBT revolution: Lillian Faderman, The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle (2015)
Learn more at Lambda Legal: http://www.lambdalegal.org/issues/marriage-relationships-and-family-protections
And more at Freedom to Marry: http://www.freedomtomarry.org/