Savoring the Capstone of More than Half a Life of Work Evan Wolfson always believed, yet still was brought to tears by historic marriage ruling
Accurate Building Inspectors® CONSIDERING BUYING A HOME OR APARTMENT? Buying an apartment or house can be a scary process even for the most knowledgeable and experienced buyer. First timers can feel completely overwhelmed. Our professional and patient inspectors will examine the property and explain all aspects of your new home. We will provide a full written report with photographs that will explain the property in question in common terms. We are not only inspectors; we are building and home educators. All Accurate Building Inspectors® are fully licensed and insure in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Our Inspectors have over 100 years of combined Experience.
Lawrence Ubell
GAY CITY NEWS
1860 Bath Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11214
Matthew Barnett
800-640-8285 accuratebuilding.com roxy@accuratebuilding.com
Evan Wolfson in his office at Freedom to Marry in Manhattan on decision day.
BY DUNCAN OSBORNE
F
or Evan Wolfson, the US Supreme Court decision that required every state to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and to recognize the marriage licenses issued to such couples from other states capped decades of work. “This is the culmination of more than four decades of our movement’s work, more than 32 years of my work, and a smart, strong strategy that we pulled together over the last several years to drive to victory,” the founder and president of Freedom to Marry told Gay City News on June 26, the day the court released its 5-4 decision. Between appearances on MSNBC and NPR, Wolfson took 30 minutes to discuss his decades of advocating for marriage, arguing about marriage, and working to make marriage equality a reality in the US. “I couldn’t stop crying periodically reading the opinion,” he said of the decision, which was
GayCityNews.nyc | July 09 - 22, 2015
authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy. “It was such a powerful recognition of the importance of our inclusion, the importance of our dignity, the importance of our freedom and equality.” Wolfson’s first foray into the campaign came in 1983 when he authored a thesis arguing for marriage while a law student at Harvard. He joined Lambda Legal in 1989 and was among those who advocated that the LGBT rights group join a 1991 lawsuit brought by three same-sex couples in Hawaii’s state courts that sought the right to marry. An initial win in court was reversed by a ballot initiative and the State Legislature. “When Hawaii offered the hope that we could win, despite some of the reservations, the resistance of some of the activists, the grassroots responded with tremendous energy and that energy… [was] the engine of change,” Wolfson said. Hawaii changed its law again in
c
WOLFSON, continued on p.25
A picture is worth a thousand words… Let’s tell your story!
Brian Gorman, photographer
917.653.5198 | portraitsinpride.com brian@briangormanphoto.com Marriage Equality Commemorative
| 7