Civil wars: a battle for gay marriage

David Moats

Harcourt, Feb 2, 2004 - Family & Relationships - 288 pages

In 2000 Vermont became the first state to grant gay and lesbian couples the right to join in civil unions-a groundbreaking decision that has inspired similar legislation in six states thus far. But it was not an easy victory; the ruling sparked the fiercest political conflict in the state's memory. David Moats was in the thick of it, writing a series of balanced, humane editorials that earned a Pulitzer Prize. Now he tells the intimate stories behind the battle and introduces us to all the key actors in the struggle, including the couples who first filed suit; the lawyers who spent years championing the case; and the only openly gay legislator in Vermont, who ensured victory with an impassioned, deeply personal speech on the House floor at a crucial moment. Civil Wars is a remarkable drama of democracy at work on a human scale.

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In this gripping piece of journalistic history, Moats chronicles the battle over gay marriage in Vermont, which culminated in 2000 with the first state law allowing gay civil unions. Moats, who won a ...

Contents

• CHAPTER ONE OUR COMMON HUMANITY I: 1
• CHAPTER TWO BEGINNINGS: 37
• CHAPTER THREE FREEDOM: 57

About the author

David Moats is the editorial-page editor at the Rutland Herald, where he won that paper's first Pulitzer Prize for his series of editorials in support of same-sex unions in Vermont. He is also a playwright who has authored a dozen plays. He lives in Middlebury, Vermont.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Civil wars: a battle for gay marriage
• Author: David Moats
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: Harcourt, 2004
• ISBN: 015101017X, 9780151010172
• Length: 288 pages
• Subjects: Family & Relationships / Alternative Family; Gay couples; Gay couples - Legal status, laws, etc - United States; Gay couples - Legal status, laws, etc - Vermont; Gay couples/ Legal status, laws, etc./ Vermont; Law / Gender & the Law; Law / General; Political Science / Civil Rights; Political Science / General; Political Science / Political Freedom & Security / Civil Rights; Same-sex marriage; Same-sex marriage - Law and legislation - United States; Same-sex marriage - Law and legislation - Vermont; Same-sex marriage - United States; Same-sex marriage - Vermont; Same-sex marriage/ Law and legislation/ Vermont; Same-sex marriage/ Vermont; Social Science / Gay Studies; Social Science / Sociology / Marriage & Family