About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherBeacon Press

ISBN-100807066206

ISBN-139780807066201

eBay Product ID (ePID)57132534

Product Key Features

Book TitleCourting Equality : a Documentary History of America's First Legal Same-Sex Marriages

Number of Pages224 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2007

TopicLgbt Studies / General, General

IllustratorYes

GenreSocial Science, History

AuthorPatricia Gozemba, Patricia A. Gozemba, Karen Kahn

Book SeriesLesbian and Gay Studies Ser.

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height0.5 in

Item Weight20 oz

Item Length10 in

Item Width10 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2006-031579

ReviewsCourting Equality is a very important book on several levels. First, it chronicles the events that led up to same sex marriage in Massachusetts, an historic event in our country's move toward making the wonderful principles of the Constitution applicable to all of our citizens. Second, it shows how political support in the elected Legislature grew rapidly as the reality of allowing same sex couples to love each other demolished the prejudices that prevented same-sex marriage previously. Finally, it reinforces the pointwhich was no surprise to those of us fighting for equal treatment for all peoplethat same sex marriage has been an entirely positive thing for thousands of men and women in Massachusetts, and has had zero negative consequences at all. Too often, political literature focuses on the bad news, Courting Equality tells some very good news very well.Congressman Barney Frank " Courting Equality offers timely and vivid testimony to the power of commitment and bears witness to the determination, the love, and, ultimately, the jubilation of thousands of ordinary people who believed in an extraordinary dream." Rev. William G. Sinkford, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations "In Courting Equality , Marilyn Humphries' stunning photos show what the struggle for equality looks like and what it feels like. She, Patricia Gozemba, and Karen Kahn have documented an important piece of American 's ongoing efforts to end discrimination against gay people and same-sex couples. This book shows how some of our own legislators and fellow citizens got to gay people and our families, and our collective journey to embracing fairness. Courting Equality will help others make that journey."Mary L. Bonauto, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, Lead counsel, Goodridge v. Department of Public Health " Courting Equality is a remarkable chronicle of exactly how social change happens. Marilyn Humpries' vivid photographic documentation of the fight for same-sex marriage hardly needs any elaboration, but Kahn and Gozemba's accompanying legal history is riveting. Words and pictures together create a moving, human portrait of representative democracy at work."Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home and Dykes to Watch Out For

Photographed byHumphries, Marilyn

SynopsisDescribes the struggle to legalize same-sex marriage, from the 1972 Stonewall parade in Boston, through the Goodrich decision in Massachusetts in 2003, to the first legal same-sex marriage in the United States in May, 2004., Courting Equality takes readers to the frontlines of the battle over gay marriage, with a positive spin. Through touching stories and photographs, the debate is made real, and we see the outcome of legalized gay marriage in Massachusetts as good for families and communities across the state. This book is a must-read for anyone working to make gay marriage a reality nationwide., The inspiring story of America's only successful battle for gay marriage-the court cases, the protests, and finally, the weddings! On November 18, 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court granted equal marriage benefits to same-sex couples. The decision provoked a searing public debate over the meaning of marriage and family, civil rights, and the role of religion in law and society. But the experiment went forward nonetheless: thousands of Massachusetts gays and lesbians married and, remarkably, the sky did not fall. Through engaging storytelling and powerful photographs, Courting Equality takes readers through the volatile public debate following the decision and introduces some of the many lesbian and gay families who have taken advantage of equal marriage laws. In Massachusetts, equal marriage has not destroyed the family but rather has reinforced the importance of love, commitment, fairness, and equality to the functioning of healthy democratic communities. A former professor of English and Women's Studies, Patricia A. Gozemba is the coauthor of Pockets of Hope: How Students and Teachers Change the World. She is also a founding member of The History Project, which has been documenting LGBT Boston since 1980. The former editor of Sojourner: The Women's Forum, Karen Kahn also edited Frontline Feminism: Essays from Sojourner's First Twenty Years. Gozemba and Kahn got married in September 2005; they live in Salem, Massachusetts. "Courting Equality offers timely and vivid testimony to the power of commitment. Gozemba and Kahn take great care in tracing the complex legal and legislative processes that resulted in the first legal same-sex weddings. These fascinating behind-the-scenes stories are valuable reminders that the profound historic events surrounding the Goodridge case were played out on an intimate, human scale, in the lives of real families. Marilyn Humphries' photographs are a gift to us all. They provide moving and eloquent documentation of each stage in the struggle to end discrimination in the Massachusetts marriage statutes. Courting Equality bears witness to the determination, the love, and, ultimately, the jubilation of thousands of ordinary people who believed in an extraordinary dream." -Rev. William G. Sinkford, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations "In Courting Equality, Marilyn Humphries' stunning photos show both what the struggle for equality looks like and what it feels like. She has been there every step of the way as this history has unfolded. She, Patricia Gozemba, and Karen Kahn have documented an important piece of American history and our national project of expanding fairness and ending discrimination. The more people get to know gay people, the more they support us, our families, and our rights. This book shows how some of our own legislators and fellow citizens got to know us and their journey to embracing fairness. Courting Equality will help others make that journey." -Mary L. Bonauto, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, Lead counsel, Goodridge v. Department of Public Health "Courting Equality is a very important book on several levels. First, it chronicles the events that led up to same sex marriage in Massachusetts, an historic event in our country's move towards making the wonderful principles of the Constitution applicable to all of our citizens. Second, it shows how political support in the elected Legislature grew rapidly as the reality of allowing same sex couples to love each other demolished the prejudices that prevented same sex marriage previously. Finally, it reinforces the point-which was no surprise to those of us fighting for equal treatment for all people-that same sex marriage has been an entirely positive thing for thousands of men and women in Massachusetts, and has had zero

LC Classification NumberHQ1034.U5G69 2007