Take Back Vermont was an issue-oriented political campaign in the U.S. state of

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

in the year 2000. Its formation was triggered by the state legislature's passage of a law establishing civil unions for same-sex couples in 2000. Its aim was wider than repealing the civil unions law. It was also a counter-reaction to the state's changing demographics, particularly the arrival of large numbers of affluent, liberal, Democratic residents from out-of-state, sometimes called ''flatlanders''. Ruth Dwyer, the Republican nominee for governor that year who, despite being from out of state herself, was closely identified with the movement, spoke of "a clash of outlooks" with the other side consisting of "new people who make the rules for others and don't listen". Signs bearing the words "Take Back Vermont" were printed by the thousands and were sold for $5 apiece. They became a regular fixture on roadside barns, garages and front porches, most prominently in

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

counties. In 2010, it was reported that signs could still be seen along Route 30 and Route 25. The intent of the movement was to obtain public support (money and votes) to elect officeholders who would repeal these liberal statutes. Ultimately, the movement was unsuccessful. In retrospect, the movement was part of the ongoing

culture war A culture war is a cultural conflict between social groups and the struggle for dominance of their values, beliefs, and practices. It commonly refers to topics on which there is general societal disagreement and polarization in societal value ...

Background

In December 1999, the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...

ruled in ''

Baker v. Vermont ''Baker v. Vermont'', 744 A.2d 864 (Vt. 1999), was a lawsuit decided by Vermont Supreme Court on December 20, 1999. It was one of the first judicial affirmations of the right of same-sex couples to treatment equivalent to that afforded differe ...

'' that existing prohibitions on same-sex marriage were a violation of rights granted by the Vermont Constitution. As a result, the Vermont legislature was ordered to either allow same-sex marriages, or implement an alternative legal mechanism according similar rights. The legislature ultimately voted to enact civil unions but only after months of heated and acrimonious debate. The controversy touched every corner of the state as residents expressed their views through public meetings, lobbying campaigns and placards. Like the civil unions debate, the presence of Take Back Vermont signs was deeply polarizing.

Impact

The movement was inherently political and it defined the 2000 election in the state, particularly the gubernatorial race.

Howard Dean Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American physician, author, lobbyist, and retired politician who served as the 79th governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 200 ...

, the Democratic governor who had signed the civil unions bill, faced a challenge from Ruth Dwyer, a Republican running on a platform closely tied to the Take Back Vermont movement. Dean, actively campaigning to take Vermont forward instead, won re-election but Republicans managed to win a majority in the state's

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

. Indeed, the House voted the following year to outlaw same-sex civil unions, although the Democratic-controlled Senate killed that measure. In the longer term, the movement was largely unsuccessful. The legislature revisited the issue of rights for gay couples in 2009, when it debated and ultimately passed a same-sex marriage bill. Take Back Vermont signs made an appearance then as well, although to a far lesser extent. The 2009 debate on marriage was notable for being far less divisive than the 2000 debate on civil unions.

References

{{reflist Vermont elections LGBT in Vermont Vermont culture 2000 in Vermont Opposition to same-sex marriage American political catchphrases 2000 in LGBT history