Winning Marriage: The Inside Story of How Same-Sex Couples Took on the Politicians and Pundits%E2%80%94and Won

In an insider's account that focuses as much on the faces behind the movement as the movement itself, Solomon captures a seminal period in the fight for civil rights in America. Currently the national campaign director of Freedom to Marry, Solomon describes the aftermath of Massachusetts's 2003 decision legalizing gay marriage. Rising quickly from a volunteer for the Massachusetts Freedom to Marry Coalition to the executive director of MassEquality, Solomon had a front-row seat to the campaign to defeat a constitutional amendment backed by then-Governor Romney that would have reversed Massachusetts' same-sex marriage court ruling. Later chapters describe how victories were achieved in the New York state legislature and in ballot boxes across America%E2%80%94all of which required radically different tactics%E2%80%94as well as how the movement was eventually able to gain the support of President Obama and win a decisive judicial victory in the Supreme Court that opened the floodgates to gay rights across America. As Solomon writes about these later campaigns in which he had a larger leadership role, the book loses its focus on the individuals who made up the movement, shifting from history to memoir, but Solomon's deep knowledge and passion for the cause is clear throughout. If nothing else, Solomon's narrative serves as a tribute to those who made gay marriage happen and as a manual for how to craft a successful political movement in the future. Agent: Esmond Harmsworth, Zachary Shuster Harmsworth. (Nov.)