In the first half of the 19th century, Weybridge residents Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake were treated as a married couple by the community following their years of commitment to each other.
[8] 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.
[4] 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.
Gay in Vermont primarily functioned to spread word about social events, while Commonwoman focused on women's issues and lesbian feminism.
[13] In 1985, Sanders put a city ordinance into place which prohibited housing discrimination against the "gay community...welfare recipients, the elderly, and the handicapped".
[18] In 2018, Christine Hallquist won the primary election for Vermont governor, making her the first transgender person to do so.
In 2020, Taylor Small was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives, becoming the state's first openly trans legislator.
[20] In 2021, Becca Balint became the Vermont Senate's President pro tempore, making her the first woman and first openly LGBTQ person to hold the position.
In November 2022, Balint was elected to the federal House of Representatives, making her the first openly LGBTQ congressperson and first congresswoman from Vermont.