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NBC5 In Depth: Silver anniversary for civil unions
Two trailblazers are reflecting on the 25th anniversary of Vermont’s civil unions law, a once-divisive issue they now view as a step toward greater equality
Updated: 2:02 PM EDT May 4, 2025
Two trailblazers in the march toward equality for Vermont’s LGBTQ+ community are celebrating the silver anniversary for a piece of landmark legislation.In late April 2000, 25 years ago, the Vermont Legislature approved the bill that would create civil unions, a first at the time. Then-Gov. Howard Dean, a Democrat, signed the measure into law, allowing for civil unions starting in July 2000.Holly Puterbaugh and Lois Farnham were two of the six co-plaintiffs who sued the state of Vermont in 1997, arguing a ban on same-sex marriage violated certain parts of the Vermont Constitution. Eventually, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled the plaintiffs and other same-sex couples did deserve legal rights, leading to the passage of the groundbreaking civil unions bill. It gave same-sex couples the benefits of marriage even if the unions weren’t called marriage.”Every once in a while, people will say, ‘Thank you for what you did,'” Puterbaugh told NBC5 In Depth. “And not just in Vermont. When they find out who we are, if they recognize us or we say for whatever reason, they say, ‘Thank you so much for what you did, it has made a difference in my life,’ and every time, I sort of want to say, ‘Me? I’m just me.'”Farnham said many of Vermont’s LGBTQ+ residents saw civil unions as a compromise, to gain legal benefits but without pushing too aggressively for lawmakers who were not ready to grant the word “marriage.””Once they realized that we didn’t have three heads, that we looked the same as other people, that we just happened to be two men or two women that loved each other, and some were raising kids—once people realized that, I think it was easier to get marriage,” Farnham said.The anniversary of the history-making law also inspired memories and reflections from Vermont’s first openly gay member of Congress, Rep. Becca Balint, a Democrat. She attended emotional hearings at the Vermont State House, long before she was serving in the Vermont Legislature herself.”I have such incredible affection for our state that we did, in many ways, lead the nation in really getting people to see that it’s all about people making a personal commitment to someone else,” Balint said. In a 2015 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court required all states to license and recognize same-sex marriages.
Two trailblazers in the march toward equality for Vermont’s LGBTQ+ community are celebrating the silver anniversary for a piece of landmark legislation.
In late April 2000, 25 years ago, the Vermont Legislature approved the bill that would create civil unions, a first at the time. Then-Gov. Howard Dean, a Democrat, signed the measure into law, allowing for civil unions starting in July 2000.
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Holly Puterbaugh and Lois Farnham were two of the six co-plaintiffs who sued the state of Vermont in 1997, arguing a ban on same-sex marriage violated certain parts of the Vermont Constitution. Eventually, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled the plaintiffs and other same-sex couples did deserve legal rights, leading to the passage of the groundbreaking civil unions bill. It gave same-sex couples the benefits of marriage even if the unions weren’t called marriage.
“Every once in a while, people will say, ‘Thank you for what you did,'” Puterbaugh told NBC5 In Depth. “And not just in Vermont. When they find out who we are, if they recognize us or we say for whatever reason, they say, ‘Thank you so much for what you did, it has made a difference in my life,’ and every time, I sort of want to say, ‘Me? I’m just me.'”
Farnham said many of Vermont’s LGBTQ+ residents saw civil unions as a compromise, to gain legal benefits but without pushing too aggressively for lawmakers who were not ready to grant the word “marriage.”
“Once they realized that we didn’t have three heads, that we looked the same as other people, that we just happened to be two men or two women that loved each other, and some were raising kids—once people realized that, I think it was easier to get marriage,” Farnham said.
The anniversary of the history-making law also inspired memories and reflections from Vermont’s first openly gay member of Congress, Rep. Becca Balint, a Democrat. She attended emotional hearings at the Vermont State House, long before she was serving in the Vermont Legislature herself.
“I have such incredible affection for our state that we did, in many ways, lead the nation in really getting people to see that it’s all about people making a personal commitment to someone else,” Balint said.
In a 2015 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court required all states to license and recognize same-sex marriages.
