Larger	Civil Wars: A Battle for Gay Marriage Author: David Moats
	Book Information Publisher: Harcourt Book Type: Hardcover Rating: 5 ISBN-13: 9780151010172 - ISBN-10: 015101017X Publication Date: 2/2/2004 Pages: 304 Book Reviews

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.