Why Marriage Matters

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 concise, logical primer...well worth reading...a book that supporters of gay marriage could give to friends and relatives who are undecided on the issue (or only mildly opposed)

Each chapter is an excellent and sensible essay responding to common questions same-sex couples get asked. Order a pile...and start handing them out to family, colleagues, and friends.

Anybody interested in engaging in the current policy debates can find the information and arguments they will need in this compact, well-organized book that is both easy and pleasant to read.

...concise and efficient arguments...Thanks to this book, I now feel capable of having productive discussions about equal marriage.

...this is one useful book. Armed with Wolfson's arguments, you could sell anyone with an IQ over room temperature on the wisdom and humanity of marriage equality.

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