Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to Marry

Why Marriage Matters offers a compelling and clear discussion of a question at the forefront of our national consciousness. It is the work of a brilliant civil rights litigator who has dedicated his life to the protection of individuals' rights and our Constitution's commitment to equal justice under the law. Above all, it is a thoughtful, straightforward book that brings into sharp focus the human significance of the right to marry in America — not just for some couples, but for all.

Whatever your personal beliefs, we all can agree that marriage equality provokes both passion and tension, and looms large in our nation's politics. Marriage means many things to many people — emotionally, spiritually, intellectually — but in these pages, Evan Wolfson demonstrates a truth that is undeniable: Marriage is the legal gateway to a vast array of tangible and intangible protections, responsibilities, and benefits, most of which cannot be replicated in any other way.

Wolfson is a formidable legal thinker who has participated in landmark cases to end race discrimination in jury trials, to secure the rights of battered married women, and to challenge the abuse of power at the highest level in government. Now, with extraordinary clarity, fascinating stories, and legal and historical examples, he addresses the questions we as Americans are asking ourselves as we consider how marriage equality will affect our lives. Why is the word marriage so important? What are the stakes for America in this civil rights movement? How can people of different faiths reconcile their beliefs with the idea of marriage for same-sex couples? How will allowing gay couples to marry affect children? Here you will find thorough, honest answers — some that may surprise you, some that will persuade you, many that will move you. Wolfson recalls the history of past battles over marriage and movements for equality, and articulates the everyday acts of discrimination that frame this current movement — acts of discrimination that, if faced by non-gay Americans, would provoke a resounding cry of injustice.

Marriage matters because it is a foundation upon which most Americans build dreams. It is the cornerstone of commitment one individual makes to another — a commitment we are taught is thehighest expression of love, dedication, and responsibility. In this, the most powerful, authoritative, and fairly articulated book on the subject, Wolfson demonstrates why the right to marry is important — indeed necessary — for all couples and for America's promise of equality.

"A nationally renowned attorney and director of Freedom to Marry, Wolfson hails the movement for marriage equality as 'one of the first important civil rights campaigns of the 21st century' and grounds support for it within the logic of the long-established protest traditions in U.S. history: abolition, the women's suffrage movement and the racial equality movements of the 1950s and '60s. Unlike those who support gay marriage as a way to regulate what they see as the self-destructive sexual practices of homosexuals (David Brooks, Jonathan Rauch, Andrew Sullivan), Wolfson sidelines the issue of morality and discusses the right to marry as part of each citizen's inalienable claim to what the Declaration of Independence calls the 'pursuit of happiness.' Framing his argument strictly in terms of civil rights and grounding it in conventional definitions of the public significance of marriage, Wolfson is refreshing, smart, thorough and easy to follow. Most provocatively, Wolfson excises 'gay marriage' from the debate entirely, writing that the term 'impl[ies] that same-sex couples are asking for rights and privileges that married couples do not have, or for rights that are something lesser or different from what non-gay couples have. In fact, we don't want 'gay marriage,' we want marriage.' For now, it is available in Boston. Agent, Fred Morris for the Jed Mattes Agency. Forecast: Wolfson was named one of the '100 Most Influential People in the World' by Time in April. He will do a six-city tour. " Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Wolfson aims to reach and engage non-gay Americans in a discussion about civil marriage equality, addressing their concerns and arming them with answers. By tackling this misunderstood issue, this will also become a touchstone for gay Americans.

Contents

Chapter One: What Is Marriage?

Chapter Two: Why Now?

Chapter Three: Will Allowing Gay Couples to Marry Harm Society?

Chapter Four: Isn't Marriage for Procreation?

Chapter Five: What About the Children?

Chapter Six: Isn't Marriage a Religious Matter?

Chapter Seven: Why Not Use Another Word?

Chapter Eight: Will Marriages in One State Be Honored in Others?

Chapter Nine: Is Marriage Equality a Question of Civil Rights?

Chapter Ten: Why the Freedom to Marry Matters to Me

Appendix A: Big Questions, Short Answers

Appendix B: Discrimination: Protections Denied to Same-Sex Couples and Their Kids

Appendix C: Getting Involved

Appendix D: Working Together

Notes

Index