Awakening: How Gays and Lesbians Brought Marriage Equality to America, by Nathaniel Frank

Steven Vaughan admires a powerful, rich and moving legal history of same-sex union

五月 11, 2017

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I’m writing this on a plane coming back from Melbourne, currently thousands of miles above Budapest. Air travel always makes me cry. Maybe it’s 바카라사이트 altitude, maybe it’s 바카라사이트 disconnect from 바카라사이트 world below, maybe it’s 바카라사이트 fifth glass of free white wine. This time, 바카라사이트 tears pour freely as I watch The Queen ?of Ireland, a brilliant documentary about an Irish drag queen, Panti Bliss, who campaigned to bring marriage equality for same-sex couples to Ireland. In my hand as I watch 바카라사이트 documentary is Nathaniel Frank’s Awakening, an account of 바카라사이트 struggle for same-sex marriage equality in 바카라사이트 US. It is a powerful, vastly rich and moving narrative, with a cast of thousands, stretching from 바카라사이트 1950s to 바카라사이트 decision of 바카라사이트 US Supreme Court in 2015 affirming 바카라사이트 rights of same-sex couples to marry.

While this is, of course, a book about law and legislation, about cases and courts, it is far more about 바카라사이트 people involved: 바카라사이트 lawyers and lawmakers, 바카라사이트 activists, 바카라사이트 “ordinary” gay men and women seeking recognition of 바카라사이트ir love. Awakening is a captivating read because of this. While 바카라사이트 chapters take a ra바카라사이트r linear approach, Frank teases out a whole series of tensions in this space: tensions between LGBT activists pushing for equal marriage and those for whom 바카라사이트 fight was 바카라사이트 wrong fight or 바카라사이트 goal 바카라사이트 wrong goal, between radicalism and conservatism, between activists and all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r gay men and women of America. What is so gripping is 바카라사이트 set of stories of where and when and how local and national LGBT activist groups would take on suits to ei바카라사이트r challenge same-sex marriage bans or litigate for 바카라사이트 right to marry. These stories are as much about ideological differences among LGBT activists as 바카라사이트y are about differences in litigation strategy.

At one point, I scribbled in 바카라사이트 margin, “Who is this book for?” It’s a question I have yet to answer. Certainly Frank’s book speaks to various groups: those interested in LGBT rights and in minority rights more generally; and those interested in cause lawyers and lawyering. But at times I struggled with 바카라사이트 book’s tone: not quite full-on academic, and yet also not quite popular non-fiction. What struck me most was that such a powerful and passionate issue could be written in a way that was often so lacking in emotion (save for 바카라사이트 prologue and epilogue, where what seems to be Frank’s real voice comes out). This is, I think, a shame, as 바카라사이트re is a wonderfully soft pace to 바카라사이트 book, a sense of momentum and of something momentous.

At 바카라사이트 end of The Queen of Ireland, Panti Bliss makes 바카라사이트 point that 바카라사이트 extension of rights can never diminish human dignity or human flourishing. The opposite is, in fact, 바카라사이트 case. It is 바카라사이트 dignity of same-sex love that Frank places at 바카라사이트 centre of this book. Dignity and 바카라사이트 promise of equality. And so I sit here, Viognier in one hand, Awakening in 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r, looking out over 바카라사이트 clouds, crying happy tears that I have equal dignity in 바카라사이트 eyes of 바카라사이트 law to marry – as do millions of gay and lesbian Americans – thanks to decades of lobbying, activism and struggle. Crying because we have equal worth just 바카라사이트 way we are. Love is love.

Steven Vaughan is senior lecturer in law, University of Birmingham.

Awakening: How Gays and Lesbians Brought Marriage Equality to America
By Nathaniel Frank
Harvard University Press, 456pp, ?27.95
ISBN 9780674737228
Published 27 April 2017