We Do!: American Leaders Who Believe in Marriage Equality

Description

"The encouraging story of American acceptance of gay marriage and the roles that politicians—gay and straight—have played in that history" (The Philadelphia Tribune). Through speeches, interviews, and commentary, this book chronicles the road toward marriage equality in the United States, edited by former Vermont governor Madeleine Kunin and author and activist Jennifer Baumgardner. "Baumgardner and Kunin have compiled the writings and public pronouncements of public officials and other figures on the issue of marriage equality . . . This book will serve as a resource for what was said about the struggle." —New York Journal of Books "Detail[s] the politicians out there who are good-hearted, decent and basically worth knowing about." —Detroit Metro Times "Compiles speeches, interviews and commentary from 1977 through 2013, in which an array of political leaders . . . voice their unconditional support for the queer citizens of the US in their quest for same-sex marriage rights." —Bay Area Reporter "Highlights the path politicians have taken from Harvey Milk of San Francisco in 1977 until now, to advance the cause of marriage equality." —Sun News Miami "Powerful . . . As Vermont's governor, Madeleine Kunin was a leader on gay rights years before it was fashionable and years before our state became the first in the country to allow civil unions and, later, gay marriage without a court order. The struggle for gay rights in Vermont was very difficult, divisive, and acrimonious. If you talk to young people today about gay rights or gay marriage, they ask, What was the big deal? Madeleine and Jennifer Baumgardner remind us what a big deal it was and how important it is." —Bernie Sanders "The gay marriage movement, like all civil rights movements, began with individuals telling the truth about who they are to a world that doesn't accept them. It ends with an entire generation of young people who reject blatant civil rights discrimination . . . We Do! triumphantly chronicles this recent chapter." —New Pages Included on the American Library Association's Over the Rainbow Project Book List