The Quotation Of The Day Mailing List
Quotation of the Day for November 22, 2003
"Ironically, American lesbian and gay activists didn't choose marriage as an issue; marriage was thrust upon them. Although isolated same-sex couples sought to marry as far back as 1970, the organized lesbian- and gay-rights movement opposed pushing for marriage; some thought it too conventional a goal, while others thought it dangerously out of reach.
"Evan Wolfson, executive director of the organization Freedom to Marry, recalls simply trying to secure health insurance for the same-sex partners of New York City workers in the 1980s-and being attacked by conservatives for making incursions into the sacred territory of marriage. ''There was a backlash before we ever lashed,'' Wolfson says. Across the country, any time an employer, court, or government considered such straightforward measures as hospital visitation, shared tenancy, or bereavement leave, anti-gay forces escalated the discussion into a fight over marriage."
- E.J. Graff, in _The_Boston_Globe_, 8 June 2003 [http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/159/focus/Here_come_the_brides+.shtml]
Submitted by: dglenn
Nov. 12, 2003