Love Unites Us: Winning the Freedom to Marry in America

Firsthand accounts from the attorneys and advocates who brought the historic cases and fought to secure the freedom to marry for same-sex couples.

The June 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges was a sweeping victory for the freedom to marry, but it was one step in a long process. Love Unites Us is the history of activists' passion and persistence in the struggle for marriage rights for same-sex couples in the United States, told in the words of those who waged the battle.

Launching the fight for the freedom to marry had neither an obvious nor an uncontested strategy. To many activists, achieving marriage equality seemed far-fetched, but the skeptics were proved wrong in the end. Proactive arguments in favor of love, family, and commitment were more effective than arguments that focused on rights and the goal of equality at work. Telling the stories of people who loved and cared for one another, in sickness and in health, cut through the antigay noise and moved people--not without backlash and not overnight, but faster than most activists and observers had ever imagined. With compelling stories from leading attorneys and activists including Evan Wolfson, Mary L. Bonauto, Jon W. Davidson, and Paul M. Smith, Love Unites Us explains how gay and lesbian couples achieved the right to marry.

"An exceptional piece of work by courageous and innovative leaders." --Eric H. Holder Jr., 82nd US attorney general

"Captures the amazing story of the fight for marriage equality--in California and around the country. A remarkable journey recounted with truth and eloquence." --Gavin Newsom, governor of California

Publisher: New Press
Published: 06/14/2016
Pages: 352
Weight: 1.45lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.10w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9781595585509


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 05/01/2016 pg. 82
Booklist 05/15/2016 pg. 6

About the Author
Kevin Cathcart has been the executive director of Lambda Legal since 1992. Cathcart was involved in Lawrence v. Texas and marriage equality victories across the country. He lives in New York City. Leslie Gabel-Brett is the director of education and public affairs for Lambda Legal and lives in Brooklyn. Lambda Legal has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, and Dallas.