Scope and Contents
This collection contains the paper and electronic records of Vermont Freedom to Marry (VFM), a non-profit volunteer organization that successfully led efforts to secure same-sex couples the freedom to marry in Vermont. Materials include social media, promotional materials, correspondence, among others.
Dates
- Existence: 1995-2015
Conditions Governing Access
Open for research without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
For permission to publish materials, contact: Special Collections & Archives Middlebury College Phone: (802) 443-2387 Email: specialcollections@middlebury.edu
Biographical / Historical
Founded in 1995 by Middlebury lawyers Susan Murray and Beth Robinson, the Vermont Freedom to Marry organization fostered grass roots support for legal equality of same-sex relationships. In 1997, Murray, Robinson, and Mary Bonauto (an attorney with the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, or GLAD) sued the State of Vermont on behalf of three same-sex couples. In 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court issued a groundbreaking ruling in the case of Baker v. State granting same-sex couples the same benefits and privileges enjoyed by all married couples under Vermont law.
In 2000, Governor Howard Dean signed into law legislation allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions. Around 2007, VFM began to actively work for full marriage equality in Vermont. In 2009, The Marriage Equality Act was passed, legalizing same-sex marriage in Vermont.
VFM continued to promote marriage equality nationally and internationally until 2015, when the United States Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples. Shortly after, VFM dissolved its operations and donated their historical records to Middlebury College Special Collections and Archives.
Extent
27 Boxes (11 document boxes, 4 flat oversize boxes, 12 bankers boxes, 4 plastic bins 2 flat file drawers, 7 tubes and electronic files)
Language of Materials
English
Physical Location
B3 14 2.2
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated to Middlebury College Special Collections & Archives by the board of directors of Vermont Freedom to Marry, including but not limited to: Beth Robinson, Sheryl Rapee-Adams, Ernest McCloud, and Diane Fuchs.
Subject
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Middlebury College Special Collections & Archives Repository
Middlebury College
Davis Family Library
110 Storrs Avenue
Middlebury Vermont 05753 United States
specialcollections@middlebury.edu