Courting Equality
Subtitle: A Documentary History of America's First Legal Same-Sex Marriages
Contributors: Marilyn Humphries (Photographer)
Publisher: Beacon Press
Published: May 17, 2007
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 190
ISBN-13: 9780807066201
Subjects: Gay & Lesbian studies; Sociology; Social Science; Sociology - Marriage & Family; Social Science / Sociology / General; Sociology - General; Gay rights; Law and legislation; Same-sex marriage; United States
Description: The inspiring story of America's only successful battle for gay marriage including 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, this book 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.