Marriage Inclusion Act

The **Marriage Inclusion Act** is a piece of legislation that legalised same-sex marriageW in the United States. It was passed through the actions of President Ellen Wilson in 1998.

## History

### Background

The gay community in the United States had long been repressed, through actions such as a ban on same-sex attracted people being able to serve in the military or government. This extended to investigations being carried out on members suspected to be gay or lesbian. This did not mean that these people did not work in these professions, with NASA engineer Larry Wilson and astronaut Ellen Waverly marrying in 1974 to avoid detection.

In 1992 Ellen, now going by Ellen Wilson, wins the 1992 United States presidential election, although Larry and herself are still hiding their true orientation. This is threatened in 1995 when a White House staffer tells a friend of his affair with Larry. This news is then leaked, leading to a potential political scandal if it comes out publicly.

Complicating matters is astronaut Will Tyler publicly coming out as gay in a video message from Mars. Due to Tyler still being a member of the US Army, he faces dismissal from the service due to the continuing ban on gay service personal. President Wilson institutes "Don't ask, don't tell"W, which forbids anyone from asking a members sexual orientation, but still allows for dismissal if they voluntarily report it.

In a press conference in September 1995, Larry is expected to admit his sexuality and his affair, while Ellen will say she did not know. Instead, President Wilson publicly comes out as lesbian. In doing so, she is also able to confer the Presidential Medal of FreedomW on Tyler, as she removes restrictions on service due to sexual orientation. Her coming out results in great controversy and calls for impeachment, but leads to overall greater recognition of gay rights in the United States.

### Passing of the Marriage Inclusion Act

Due to the support of her Secretary of State, George H. W. Bush, Ellen again wins the Republican nomination and is reelected at the 1996 United States presidential election. Now living with her partner Pam Horton, she manages to enshrine the Marriage Inclusion Act in 1998, legalising same-sex marriage in the United States.

## Gallery

Ellen Waverly being interrogated over her and Larry Wilson's sexual orientationWill Tyler coming out as gay on Mars.Media reaction to Will Tyler's coming out.President Wilson coming out as lesbian.President Wilson signs the Marriage Inclusion Act
## Behind the scenes

In reality, same-sex marriage in the United States was only fully recognised in 2015 due to the Supreme Court ruling in favour of the right to marriage in the landmark case Obergefell v. HodgesW. The first state to recognise same-sex marriage was Massachusetts in 2004. In contrast to the show's 1998 passing of the Marriage Inclusion Act, the Clinton administration passed the Defense of Marriage ActW in 1996, limiting marriage to one man and one woman.

"Don't ask, don't tell" was also brought into law by the Clinton administration in 1994 and it would take until 2011 to be overturned, finally allowing LGBTQI+ service members to openly serve.

As of 2024, there have only been three openly LGBTQI+ astronauts. Sally RideW, Wendy LawrenceW and Anne McClainW. There have been no openly gay male astronauts.

## See also

* Ellen Wilson
* Larry Wilson
* Will Tyler

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 4, Episode 1: "Glasnost"
2. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 1, Episode 6: "Home Again"
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 3, Episode 6: "New Eden"
4. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 1, Episode 7: "Hi Bob"
5. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 3, Episode 3: "All In"
6. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 3, Episode 7: "Bring It Down"
7. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 3, Episode 9: "Coming Home"
8. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 3, Episode 10: "Stranger in a Strange Land"