MA Governor Patrick presents the case for marriage equality

On his official website, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick presented the case for why state legislators ought to vote down the proposed constitutional amendment aimed at taking away same-sex couples's freedom to marry.


Broadcast: 06/07/2007

Evan Wolfson discusses Loving v. Virginia on TalkBack! with Hugh Hamilton

June 12th marks the 40th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, the landmark Supreme Court decision that advanced racial equality and the freedom to marry in America.

In 1967, Virginia residents Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter, an interracial couple, married in Washington DC. When they returned home, they were arrested for violating Virginia's Racial Integrity Act, which prohibited their marriage. The couple challenged the arrest all the way to the US Supreme Court. Writing in a unanimous decision, Chief Justice Earl Warren stated that banning interracial marriages constituted "invidious racial discrimination," thus violating the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

Committed, loving couples whose relationships had previously been treated with legal disregard and societal disrespect were finally able to marry.

Evan Wolfson discusses this landmark case and the celebration to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Loving decision spearheaded by a coalition of organizations led by Freedom to Marry.


Broadcast: 06/04/2007, 4:00 p.m.

Minnesota Public Radio hosts marriage debate

Richard Mohr, a professor of philosophy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and author of a number of books on gay rights, most recently, "The Long Arc of Justice: Lesbian and Gay Marriage, Equality and Rights," squared off with Dwight Duncan, a professor at Southern New England School of Law in Massachusetts, who got his degree at the Vatican. Mohr does a great job of articulating what marriage is really about.

Broadcast: Midday, 05/08/2007, 12:00 p.m.

Evan Wolfson on CNN Situation Room

Evan Wolfson responds to Senator Clinton's statement on the morality of same-sex relations, that she would "leave that to others to conclude," following General Pace's discriminatory statement on the issue. Mr. Wolfson expresses hope that Senator Clinton would make her stance clear.

GLAD Podcast: Next Steps towards Marriage Equality

Last Thursday GLAD attorney Ben Klein discussed GLAD's lawsuit for equal marriage in Connecticut on a conference call. GLAD filed briefs at the Connecticut Supreme Court just before Thanksgiving and they expect oral arguments in the spring. You can also listen to Ben's analysis by accessing the audio file on their website.

From NPR: A personal view of marriage equality

A Personal View of Same-Sex Marriage
News & Notes, November 14, 2006 · The New Jersey Supreme Court recently declared the state's same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional. Two of the plaintiffs in that case, Alicia Heath-Toby and Saundra Toby-Heath, describe what marriage means to them.

Evan Wolfson debates Maggie Gallagher at the Jewish Theological Seminary

Jewish Theological Seminary, New York
October 16, 2006
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."

WI State Senator Mark Miller on civil rights and marriage

Excerpts from an interview by John Quinlan on the public affairs radio program, Forward Forum, which aired on July 29, 2006 on WXXM, The Mic, 92.1 (www.themic921.com) in Madison, WI. State Senator Miller reflects on the parallels between laws that had historically prohibited interracial marriage and current prohibitions against marriage for same sex couples. He draws on his own experiences in the late 1960s, early in his marriage to Jo Oyama-Miller, his Japanese-American wife, when the young couple lived lived in Alabama--a state where it was still technically illegal for them to be married. The 13 minute clip also includes excerpts from a speech that then State Rep. delivered on the floor of the WI State Assembly March 4, 2004.

Evan Wolfson Keynotes Kentucky Fairness Alliance Dinner 2 Years After Constitutional Amendment Vote

Speaking in Lexington, KY on October 7, 2006, 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.

Marriage equality leader debates VA anti-gay amendment sponsor

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.

Why Marriage Matters: The Fight to Win the Freedom to Marry in New York and Nationwide

Evan Wolfson's September 20, 2006 lecture at the Yale Club of New York, sponsored by Yale GALA: Yale’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Alumni Network. Evan analyzes the NY high court ruling refusing to end the exclusion from marriage and the movement forward in New York, and does Q&A.

NPR's Weekend Edition 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

VIDEO: Monday morning blogger

PoliticsTV's Monday morning blogger talks about the upcoming federal anti-gay marriage amendment, Mary Cheney, and other goings-on in the nation's capitol.

VIDEO: ACLU.tv's Freedom Files

The ACLU Freedom Files, a revolutionary new 10-part series, tells the stories of everyday Americans whose civil liberties have been threatened, and how they fought back. This episode illustrates the tragic consequences for lesbian and gay families when they are denied protections.

Part 2 of Evan Wolfson's interview with Barry Lynn on Culture Shocks

Part two of the April 10, 2006 interview on Barry Lynn's Culture Shocks in which Evan Wolfson refutes the right-wing's "polygamy" scare tactics.