[ + ] Text [ – ]
Quoting Evan Wolfson
Freedom to Marry head responds to gays' first marriage anniversaries
Evan Wolfson is hopeful about the influence of marriages in Massachusetts over time. He says it serves as "[A] standard of equality that others will aspire to and define themselves by," adding it is a "living example of fairness and family values."
MD awaits marriage ruling
Legal experts familiar with the Maryland marriage lawsuit said a strong argument was made for marriage equality, but judges offered few clues as to how they might rule in the high-profile case. "I think how the court rules will, in part, depend on the climate we create that enables the court to do the right thing," said Evan Wolfson. "The court does not operate in a vacuum."
[TOP]
Three countries see progress on marriage
"The United States is lagging far behind many of our key allies and trading partners when it comes to protections and respect for same-sex couples and families," said Evan Wolfson, director of Freedom to Marry. "The nations whose basic values and commitment to pluralism the United States has historically shared, continue to move in the direction of inclusion and equality while the United States falls further behind."
Historic post-election results
"Win or lose, we are involved in a steady campaign of engagement, based not on election cycles, but on patient and persistent conversations that give people the information they need, and the time required to absorb that information," said Evan Wolfson. "We are committed to engaging this conversation until we achieve an end to discrimination in all 50 states."
Rosie speaks for marriage on The View
Rosie is back on TV on that daytime staple The View. And what a change has occurred in her since she unhinged those closet doors. She regularly refers not only to her children, but also to her wife, her in-laws, her now-rescinded marriage in San Francisco, marriage equality in general, Evan Wolfson and his book Why Marriage Matters, and how important gay civil rights are to a civilized society. Watch HERE.
[TOP]
NJ can learn from VT
"If you look at the polling in Vermont... a plurality supports marriage over civil unions because they have seen with their own eyes that it was a good step forward, at the time, a huge step forward, and yet not good enough. New Jersey doesn't have to repeat Vermont's mistake, but can benefit from Vermont's experience," says Evan Wolfson.
'Separate is not equal' is the rally cry in NJ
"You have worked long and hard to bring us to this day, to bring us to this milestone in lesbian and gay rights, but you know that a milestone is not the end, it is a marker along the path," Evan Wolfson told the crowd at a rally held at the Unitarian Church of Montclair the night of the decision. "You have done this work, and I'm here to tell you today on the behalf of so many grateful people around the country, that we ask you, we need you, we count on you, to finish the job."
Religious Right hope NJ ruling will galvanize forces
Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, said religious conservatives have gone to this well too many times, and people are not buying it. "They attack gay people when the sun rises, and they attack gay people when the sun sets, so no matter what the court had done in New Jersey, they would have said Americans need to shift their attention from the real threats to our country to the alleged threat from gay couples seeking to settle down."
[TOP]
ANALYSIS: New Jersey's Justices agree on all but the 'M' word
"Should the State Legislature ultimately give gay unions a name other than marriage, Mr. Wolfson said, it would amount to discrimination. 'I don't think there is an American in the country,' he said, 'who would cash in their marriage in exchange for a civil union.'
Marshall-Newman Amendment debated
Evan Wolfson debated VA Delegate Bob Marshall, co-sponsor of a proposed amendment to the VA Constitution to prohibit legal recognition or benefits for same-sex relationships October 5 in VA. Though there were rumors of planned protests and disruptions, the only incident during the controversial debate was a silent protest by two students who stood and turned their backs during Delegate Marshall's opening statements. Wolfson, the obvious favorite of the crowd in attendance, did not suffer any disruptions while speaking.
PODCAST: Evan Wolfson debates Maggie Gallagher at the Jewish Theological Seminary
Debating Maggie Gallagher of the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, a prolific opponent of gay couples' freedom to marry, Evan Wolfson quotes Ronald Reagan's critique of those who "see something happen in practice and wonder if it will work in theory."
What's in store for WI?
Wisconsin, once a leader in expanding legal protections for gay men and lesbians, is no longer a standout. Nonetheless, a court ruling that would allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in the state appears neither imminent nor impossible.
[TOP]
WI anti-gay measure nears vote
Wisconsin voters will decide whether or not to reject a discriminatory anti-gay measure constitutionalizing discrimination next month. "What the proponents of this attack amendment are trying to do is tie the hands of the people of Wisconsin for all time so that the next generation, government agencies, cities, the state Legislature and others can never make their own decision on how to end this discrimination," Evan Wolfson said.
Taking Sides: Debating Discrimination
On the eve of Gubernatorial Candidate Elliot Spitzer's outspoken embrace of equal marriage rights for same-sex couples, a leading architect of modern marriage movement squares off against one of President Bush's favorite right wing writer.
U.S. Supreme Court won't see marriage case at this time
"The typical pattern of civil rights advances in America is that national resolution comes after a period of patchwork in which states proceed at different speeds toward equality," said Evan Wolfson, following the news that the Supreme Court rejected the Smelt case.
PODCAST: Evan Wolfson addresses Kentucky Fairness Alliance, rebounding after constitutional amendment vote
Speaking in Lexington, KY, Evan urges the 700+ non-gay and gay attendees not to "let the constitutional amendment be the last word," but rather, lay out a vision for how to move forward and win marriage equality for the thousands of Kentucky same-sex couples and their kids that the "reachable middle" has only begun to get to know.
[TOP]
Law school hosts marriage debate
Del. Robert Marshall, R-Manassas, and Evan Wolfson debated the issue of marriage equality, and more specifically the Marshall-Newman Amendment concerning same-sex marriage co-sponsored by Marshall. "I thought Wolfson did a better job with orating in the realm of the concrete," second-year College student Carianne King said. "Marshall really had trouble with coming up with stable examples and arguments."
Marriage activists look to state Supreme Court
Leaders and members of the lesbian and gay community said Thursday's ruling upholding California's ruling denying lesbian and gay couples the rights and responsibilities of marriage was a minor setback. "I think we win some and we lose some; there are good passages and bad passages," said Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry. "We've said all along that this struggle to end discrimination is going to be a patchwork in which we see some states move faster than others."
INTERVIEW: Evan Wolfson brings message to Seattle, to speak at ERW fundraiser
We are not asking for too much. We are asking for what we deserve and the more we make the case the more people are coming to understand that. The set backs are a predictable and inescapable feature of struggle. ... It's just unrealistic to think that we can ask America to change the way it has imposed second class citizenship on Gay people and their loved ones without having defeat as well as victories. Unfortunately, we have to live through both but - if we battle through both - we will bring ourselves to a full triumph.
Hope in CO, SD, WI
"The public is talking about (same-sex parented) families and how denying them the right to marry hurts them, and that continues to move public opinion in our favor," said Evan Wolfson, director of a group, Freedom to Marry, and one of the first lawyers to sue for same-sex couples' right to marry in Hawaii in the 1990s.
[TOP]
Court decisions point to timidity
"Whether you start this in a court or you start this in a legislature, ultimately to succeed we have to convince Americans that it is wrong to exclude same-sex couples from marriage," says Matthew Coles, director of the ACLU's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project in New York.
Washington legislator promises to introduce marriage-equality bill
"By 5-4, these judges failed to do their job. Now the legislators must do their job, acting to end this discrimination, while we do ours, speaking out about who gay families are and why marriage matters."
Washington court's decision disappointing
The past few months have been a rocky patch for the marriage equality movement, partly by coincidence and partly by concerted efforts on behalf of religious right groups to "intimidate and de-legitimize the courts."
Decisions create resolve
"Almost everyone in America agrees that marriage is important, it's clear that marriage is a fundamental right under the Constitution, but somehow when it comes to gay couples the courts treat their exclusion from marriage as trivial and warranting only a very minimal review," said Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry.
[TOP]
Decision due today on marriage
The ruling, due at 8 a.m. PST on the court's Web site, is not expected to settle the marriage issue but rather to send it to the state Legislature for fresh battles. "[T]he more states that begin to end this discrimination, the more it gives people around the country to see families helped and no one hurt," Evan Wolfson said. "Obviously it also matters tremendously to the families living in Washington state."
Mayor Anderson signs on with marriage ads
"This is a long-term conversation," Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, said. "Our job is to make sure people hear about gay families and why marriage matters, and not be drowned out by the horse race of the moment."
Fighting Back: Marriage equality backers place newspaper ads
Signatories of the ads included the mayors of Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Providence, R.I., Portland, Ore., West Sacramento, Calif., and Palm Springs, Calif.
Push is on for marriage bills in five states
"What we need is more engagement, not less. And I can honestly say that I have heard no leader, no organization, no funder, no pundit call for retreat or surrender," says Freedom to Marry's Evan Wolfson.
[TOP]
OPINION: Past high court rulings show marriage is a right
"The fight for [marriage equality] is an outgrowth of the huge numbers of gay couples who have assimilated into American society in the past 30 years, bought homes, paid taxes, raised families and created complex life partnerships outside of any legal structure. The desire for marriage from the gay community increases with each decade, as more people come of age with the expectation that they will settle down in an openly gay partnership."
New York top court uses accidental babies to justify discrimination
"In a ruling reminiscent of the now-overturned Bowers v. Hardwick decision upholding gay sex prohibitions, New York's highest court said gay and lesbian couples do not have a constitutional right to marry because heterosexual couples sometimes have accidental babies."
House revives discriminatory amendment push
"Any threat to the Constitution has to be taken seriously, even if we know that the amendment isn't going anywhere," Wolfson said. "But there are many things we need to do, both positive and defensive. We need to not just survive an attack like this, but to win full marriage equality."
Court rulings against marriage equality won't stop movement
"Am I upset about it? Yes. I am upset, frustrated, angry and shocked at the shoddiness of the opinion," said Wolfson. "But in some ways, that's the silver lining. The opinion is so unpersuasive and such a throw backit's unlikely to be an impediment to any court ready to apply a more serious level of scrutiny."
[TOP]
Why we fight for the freedom to marry
Our fight for the freedom to marry is a fulfillment of American values -- not just because most people value love, commitment, and protections for family, for which we seek marriage, but also because it is part of the history of freedom that those who seek freedom must stand up for it.
How marriage is linked to the fight for equality
"There is no single gain that would more end discrimination and provide protection than winning the freedom to marry," said Evan Wolfson, Executive Director of Freedom to Marry and author of Why Marriage Matters.
OPINION: Amend this!
Columnist Keith Boykin weighs the idea of a pro-gay constitutional amendment as a way to combat the constitution-happy foes of marriage equality.
Goal is long-range change
"Laws and amendments aside, gay-rights organizations are investing resources into communication and education in an effort to change attitudes."
[TOP]
PODCAST: NPR's Weekend Edition featuring interview with Evan Wolfson
States Take Variety of Stances on Marriage Equality
NPR's Weekend Edition on Saturday, June 10, 2006 features commentary by Freedom to Marry's Evan Wolfson
Wary but relieved
"Evan Wolfson, director of Freedom to Marry, said it was too soon to celebrate. He noted that Alabama voters decided Tuesday to amend their state's constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Voters in seven other states will be asked to do the same in November."
COMMENTARY: Marriage police
"The cynical strategists in the Republican Party who cater to the most bigoted elements of its base may soon face the fact they've arrived in the 21st century and gay-baiting just doesn't play like it used to."
Strategy key in marriage court fights
"I want to emphasize again that we are not saying to couples like this, 'Don't do anything; just sit and wait' What we are saying is, 'Don't do one thing — roll the dice in court prematurely.' Rather, do the myriad other things — such as telling your story, enlisting non-gay allies, building support — that will actually advance our shared cause and create a climate in which well-timed litigation will be more likely to succeed," said Evan Wolfson.
[TOP]
Marriage amendment picks up four Senate votes over '04
"The Constitution was never amended to take away rights from a group of Americans," said Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, who Wolfson called the amendment a ploy for short-term political gain; he said Republicans would use the amendment as a distraction and an attack point in some races this fall.
MA marriage ruling uses artifact of an era of racial inequality in mission of discrimination
Most Americans assume they can get married anywhere they choose without discriminatory or unfair barriers. Unfortunately gay couples still do not have that basic fair treatment.
[TOP]
Why Marriage Matters America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to Marry.
By Evan Wolfson
Read reviews! Purchase the book or receive a signed copy as a thank you for your donation!
Read families’ stories about how marriage discrimination affects everyday life. These stories communicate, in concrete ways, how the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage hurts families and helps no one.
Start in The Marriage Basics to get short answers to your big questions about the freedom to marry, and learn more about the protections and responsibilities of marriage, the historical background for this civil rights movement, why separate is not equal, and so much more.
