In a 48-hour period this past October the number of states that allow same-sex marriage nearly doubled. As of this writing, thirty-five states allow same-sex couples to marry legally. Courts made that decision in twenty-four states. Legislatures made the call in another eight. And in three states, including Washington, the decision went to voters.
Marc Solomon has an extensive background in advocacy and public policy, but he wasn’t a natural pick to help lead the campaign to make same-sex marriage a reality. In his book, “Winning Marriage,” he tells the story of how a seemingly impossible goal — to win the freedom to marry for all Americans — came near reality in such a short period of time.
Solomon writes, “If we could get the government to respect the inherent dignity and equality of gay people as expressed through how the government treats our committed relationships, we’d be fundamentally bettering the lives of LGBT people – both today’s couples and LGBT young people who would have a vision of what their own future could be that offered up more possibilities and hope than my own.”
Solomon spoke about the fight for marriage equality at Town Hall Seattle on December 1. This talk was presented by Town Hall and University Book Store, as part of the Civics Series.
Series sponsors include Boeing, The RealNetworks Foundation and the True-Brown Foundation.
Thanks to Jennie Cecil-Moore for this recording.
