Why Marriage Matters

America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to Marry

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"At its core, the freedom-to-marry movement is about the same thing every civil rights struggle has been about: taking seriously our country's promise to be a nation its citizens can make better, its promise to be a place where people don't have to give up their differences or hide them in order to be treated equally."
Why Marriage Matters offers a compelling, intelligently reasoned discussion of a question at the forefront of our national consciousness. It is the work of one of the most influential attorneys in America, who has dedicated his life to the protection of individuals' rights and our Constitution's commitment to equal justice under the law. Above all, it is a clear, straightforward book that brings into sharp focus the very human significance of the right to marry in America -- not just for some couples, but for all.
Why is the word marriage so important? Will marriage for same-sex couples hurt the "sanctity" of the institution? How can people of different faiths reconcile their beliefs with the idea of marriage for same-sex couples? How will allowing gay couples to marry affect children?
In this quietly powerful volume, the most authoritative and fairly articulated book on the subject, Wolfson demonstrates why the right to marry is important -- indeed necessary -- for all couples and for America's promise of equality.
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Book details:
  • Simon & Schuster | 
  • 256 pages | 
  • ISBN 9781416583226 | 
  • November 2007
$12.38 List Price
Available for immediate download

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Chapter One: What Is Marriage?


Civil marriage is at once a deeply personal commitment to another human being and a highly public celebration of the ideals of mutuality, companionship, intimacy, fidelity, and family.


Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Goodridge v. Department of Public Health (2003)


How the world can change,

It can change like that,

Due to one little word:

"Married."


John Kander and Fred Ebb,

"Married," Cabaret (1966)




Depending on which linguistic expert you ask, there are anywhere from two thousand to seven...

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