Marriage Equality Pioneer Stan Baker Dies At Age 79

The Burlington Free Press reports:

LGBTQ+ trailblazer Stan Baker, the named plaintiff in the landmark Baker Case that led to the creation of civil unions for same-sex couples in Vermont, died June 23 from a heart attack. He was 79. “Stan has always been there for others,” former Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman said in a social media post. “He was a kind and thoughtful soul who just brought a peaceful energy into whatever space he was in.”

In 1998, Baker and Harrigan were one of three same-sex couples who filed a lawsuit against the state of Vermont after they were denied marriage licenses in Chittenden County. Although the lawsuit did not legalize gay marriage like the plaintiffs had hoped, the Vermont Supreme Court did order the Vermont legislature to either allow same-sex couples to marry or establish a parallel legal structure.

Three years later, the civil union — which created the first marriage-equivalent legal protections for same-sex couples anywhere in the world — was born. (Same-sex marriage became legal in Vermont in 2009.) July 1 marks the silver anniversary of civil unions going into effect in Vermont.

Read the full article.

The full post from Zuckerman is worth your time.