LGBTQ rights in Vermont
LGBTQ rights in Vermont
Vermont is one of the most LGBTQ-friendly states. It has broad protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people and strong family rights. Here’s a simple, easy-to-understand overview.
- Marriages and families
- Same-sex marriage has been legal since 2009.
- Civil unions were created in 2000, the first in the U.S. to provide a status like marriage.
- Adoption is open to single LGBT people and same-sex couples; a 1993 Vermont Supreme Court ruling supported a lesbian mother’s adoption.
- State employees have had benefits for same-sex partners since 1994.
- Lesbian couples have access to IVF; non-genetic parents can be legally recognized.
- Equality protections
- Discrimination based on sexual orientation is illegal in jobs, housing, public accommodations, and more (since 1992).
- Discrimination based on gender identity was added in 2007.
- Anti-bullying protections in schools cover sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Hate crimes and related protections
- Vermont’s hate crime laws include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity (laws enacted in 1990 and 1999).
- Transgender rights and health care
- Trans people can change gender markers on birth certificates; as of 2022, this can be done based on self-determination.
- The DMV has offered an “X” gender option on licenses since 2019; changing markers requires little or no extra paperwork.
- All single-user public bathrooms are gender-neutral since 2018.
- Health insurance in Vermont must cover transgender care (including some treatments) since 2013.
- Other protections and advances
- Conversion therapy for minors was banned in 2016.
- The gay and transgender panic defenses were repealed in 2021.
- In 2023, Vermont passed a law to protect transgender and non-binary people seeking healthcare across state lines, and classrooms have strong protections for transgender and non-binary students.
- Public opinion
- A 2017 poll found about 80% of Vermonters supported same-sex marriage.
- Quick historical note
- Vermont has long been ahead on LGBTQ rights; it previously moved to recognize civil unions and has a history of gradually expanding protections.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:47 (CET).