"I am the mother of a gay son and I've taken enough from you good people."

[cali]

21. I remember that letter and the one that precipitated it

That guy- I believe he's now dead wrote a seemingly endless stream of letters to VT newspapers.

It's hard to explain, and even shocking to remember what it was like here in VT during that period, particularly along the I-91 corridor from just south of WR to the Canadian border. Yes, it was a minority, but it was a fucking loud horrid minority. And the vehemence came as a surprise to many of us as Vermont had enacted so many laws protecting our LGBT citizens from discrimination- by 2000, adoption was legal for LGBT folks, workplace discrimination had been banned for a decade, hate crime legislation protecting LGBT people had been in place since 1990.

Those of us working to see marriage equality passed- and yes, we settled for civil unions- were sickened by the hate that came out of the woodwork. I saw it every day on my drive to work on signs on barns, by the road and on trees: Take Vermont Back. I heard it in public hearings in Montpelier and St. Johnsbury, and read it in letters to the editors.

The only time I've ever been subject to vandalism was during that period. I had come up with a bumper sticker and had thousands made up. I had one on my car and one day it got egged while I was shopping.

It lasted for about a year or so after civil unions were enacted. Not a period of time to be proud of.