The recent court battle over marriage equality in New York State reminded me of the battle for civil unions in Vermont. In the summer of 2000, the year that civil unions passed, my husband and I had just opened up a store in the northern part of Vermont. And the civil union debate wasn’t even a debate, it was just one-sided yelling.Just to clear up any misinformation – Vermont is not over-run with free-love hippie beet farmers who count Buddha beads while they meditate over which they love more, pot or homosexuals. In fact, Vermont is a delightfully diverse state filled with thoughtful and deliberative people and, then, some others…not so much. Continue reading