Gay Guide to Newfane
Vermont holds one of the longest records of legal protection for LGBTQ+ people in the United States. Following the Baker v. State ruling, it became the first state to enact civil unions in 2000, and in 2009 the first to legalize same-sex marriage through its legislature rather than by court order. Protections in housing, employment and public accommodation have been settled law here for decades.
Newfane itself is a small town in Windham County, built around a classic New England green with a white-columned county courthouse and a Congregational church at its center. It is a place people come to for quiet rather than nightlife.
Southern Vermont's LGBTQ+ life runs as much through community organizations and seasonal events as through venues, so the calendar is often a better guide to a visit than the map.
Visitors come for the hills, the West River, and the antiques shops and farm stands along Route 30, especially through the autumn. Same-sex couples travelling here can expect to be treated unremarkably. Vermont has been doing this longer than most of the country.