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Goin' to the
courtroom of love
R o seto w n R a m b le r s pr esen t
Two H a l l o w e e n D a n c e s
D
A new coalition vows not to part until same-sex marriages are
recognized as legal partnerships
▼
IS C O D IS G U IS E
A 7 0 S R E T R O DISCO
by Bob Roehr
he National Freedom to Marry Coa
lition kicked off its activities with a
press teleconference on Oct. 2. The
coalition’s aim is “to win and keep
the freedom to marry for same-gen
der couples.” It is being prodded by
Lewin, the Hawaii "gay marriage” lawsuit.
Some come reluctantly to the issue. Lorri
Jean, executive director of the Los Angeles Gay
and Lesbian Community Services Center, counted
herself among those “many activists [who] have
not always been hot on the marriage issue.... We
would not be doing this effort if it were not for the
Hawaii case.
“However, we recognized that whether we
liked it or not, this case was like a train coming
down the tracks. It would not be stopped. It was
going to arrive sooner or later, and we had two
choices: do nothing or prepare.”
Evan Wolfson, an attorney with the Lambda
Defense and Education Fund and co-counsel in
the Hawaii case, sees victory in the court. That is
because of the preliminary rulings by the Hawaii
Supreme Court that the state must pass “strict
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T
effectively [including judges and legislators], we
cannot wait until the question has been called. We
must first create a climate of receptivity.”
“One of our biggest opponents is ignorance,”
believes Donald Suggs, associate director of the
Gay and
Baehr
v. Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
‘Truth will be our biggest weapon.
“Once Americans understand what an impor
tant role marriage plays in supporting relation
ships and families, it becomes clear why the
decision to marry must belong to the couples
themselves and not to the state.”
He cited the historic context where interracial
marriage was prohibited by some state laws until
the U.S. Supreme Court struck them down in the
1967 case Loving v. Virginia. He believes the
prohibition of same-sex marriages will one day be
just as much of a historic relic as are those old
statutes.
Laurie McBride, executive director of LIFE,
California’s lesbian, gay and AIDS lobby, raised
the specter of backlash from the religious right.
“There are those who will use this as an excuse to
attack all of our hard-won civil rights, from hate
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Members o f the National Freedom to Marry Coalition
scrutiny” in showing a “compelling reason” to
discriminate against a person’s choice of whom to
marry. The case will be argued next July, and
appeals will likely continue into 1997.
“Litigation alone cannot secure people ’ s equal
ity,” said Wolfson. “For us to not just win but also
defend and build on this victory across the coun
try, political organizing, coalition building and
public education must accompany legal work.”
He called on lesbians and gay men to “undertake
the nitty-gritty work of democracy: asking for
support.”
He believes that explaining the difference
between a “legal or civil marriage” and a religious
one will be key to creating public understanding
and winning support. “We do not believe that
religions should be forced to recognize any mar
riage they choose not to recognize or perform. On
the other hand, religions and faiths should not be
dictating to the government who gets a civil
marriage license.”
Wolfson cited “two big lessons” learned from
the bruising fight to end homophobic discrimina
tion in the military. One is the need to work in
coalition, coordinating work by all of the part
ners.
The second lesson is, that “to reach people
crimes to legal recognition of our relationships in
any form.”
The coalition is calling on gay men, lesbians
and their allies to get involved at the local, state
and national levels, to tell their stories and work to
make same-sex marriage a reality.
"We already have gay palimony cases, gay
divorce, gay custody battles,” said Wolfson. “We
have all these things without any of the legal
protections, benefits, responsibilities, obligations
and assistance that the law provides automatically
to nongay couples.
“What we are seeking is the same right to
choose whether marriage offers them what they
want in terms of legal protections and benefits, as
well as social respect and support for their rela
tionship. Gay people ought to have that right to
choose. It ought to be a choice for the couple and
not for the state.”
For more information, contact the Freedom to
Marry Coalition Clearinghouse at the Lambda
Legal Defense and Education Fund
(212) 995-8585. To Have and to Hold:
Organizing fo r Our Right to Marry, an "action
kit, ” is available fo r $10 from the National Gay
and Lesbian Task Force (202) 332-6483.
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