Chapter 14: If not … Great

Chapter 14: If not ... Great

Matt Baume

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If you wandered down to a Midtown union hall in Manhattan one night in 2011, you might’ve encountered an unusual sight: Broadway stars, decked out in tuxedos and cocktail dresses, calling voters all over New York. They’d just left an awards dinner early, and without stopping to change they had descended on a marriage equality phone bank — as they had been doing for weeks.

It was the work of Jenny Kanelos, a small-town girl who’d moved to the big city just a few years earlier. In her wildest dreams, she couldn’t have envisioned herself leading a movement. But just a few years earlier, she’d volunteered to work on the Obama campaign, and discovered within herself an untapped well of power. Jenny found that she possessed two secret weapons: an intense commitment to justice, and a community of allies ready to follow her into battle.

She teamed up with her friends Gavin Creel and Rory O’Malley — themselves stars of the stage — and before she knew it, they were leading a rally in the middle of Times Square, drawing massive crowds to phone banks, and delivering boxes full of signatures to the Capitol.

But organizing alone wouldn’t be enough to win equality. Despite the groundswell that Jenny and her friends led, legislators dismissed the public support and voted down a marriage bill.

Now New York was about to find out what happens when Jenny gets pissed.

Music:
Parisian Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) 
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Chapter 13: Well That is F***ing Bold

Chapter 13: Well That is F***ing Bold

Matt Baume

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It seemed too improbable to be true: the lawyers who fought Bush v. Gore teaming up to fight Prop 8. And if that wasn’t strange enough, the company they were keeping was absolutely insane: lefty activist Rob Reiner; Bush Campaign Manager Ken Mehlman; screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.

Orchestrating this strange alliance was Chad Griffin, who was until recently an outsider to marriage equality. He’d been brought in to advise the Prop 8 campaign, and the cause had become his passion. Now, the political operative turned his attention to the freedom to marry, and he had a daring new strategy.

It was so daring, in fact, that the conventional wisdom at the time was that it was a terrible idea. Longtime leaders let him know in no uncertain terms that his federal lawsuit could do far more harm than good, and that there was little trust for his conservative allies. Their objections were completely reasonable, given that they’d weathered painful setbacks in the fight, from the destruction of relationships to legal roadblocks to the death of loved ones in the midst of battle.

This new strategy was wrong, they explained, and so were the people behind it. The whole thing broke all the rules.

But Chad was convinced that breaking the rules was the only way to win.

Music:
Parisian Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) 
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Chapter 12: You Have to Take Part in Your Own Liberation

Chapter 12: You Have to Take Part in Your Own Liberation

Matt Baume

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One week, Amy was just a newlywed from Cleveland. The next, she was leading an international protest movement, drawing millions of people into the streets.

It started with a simple email from her friend Willow, and the suggestion that people channel their outrage over Prop 8 into impromptu local marches. Amy casually posted the suggestion on her website, forwarded an email about it to some friends, and went to bed. That’s how Join the Impact was born.

In a sense, it came along at just the right moment. After Prop 8 passed, the LGBT community and its allies had been plunged into a collective state of grief, furious and mournful and feeling entirely powerless. Everyone was looking for a place to channel their emotions. Amy and Willow found themselves deputized as global grief counselors.

But the two women soon found that leading an international liberation movement can be a little exhausting.

Music:
Parisian Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) 
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Chapter 11: I Don’t Really Know How it’s Going to Work

Chapter 11: I Don't Really Know How it's Going to Work

Matt Baume

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The plan, Tim and Juan agreed, was to wait until spring.

That’s when Tim’s brother returned from serving in Iraq and could serve as best man at the wedding, just as Tim had done for him. A family-heavy wedding was non-negotiable for Tim, but for Juan it was a bit more problematic. His family still struggled with his homosexuality. Tired of waiting for their struggle to be over, he’d cut them out of his life.

After they met, Tim’s family had taken Juan in as one of their own, embracing the man who made Tim so happy. They couldn’t wait to be married in a few months.

But then they woke up the day after the election to discover that Prop 8 had passed, and marriage was off the table. Any other couple might’ve mourned and settled for a civil union. But Juan was resolute. The ban may have passed, but one way or another, they he was getting that license.

They were about to discover just how powerful family and the drive to marry can be.

Stick around after Juan and Tim's story for a little post-chapter discussion, including my interview with Dustin Lance Black. We chat all about his history of fighting for marriage equality, why marriage is so important to him, and why his relationship with Tom is so special. "I never dreamed in that time I'd meet somebody and fall in love and get engaged. I just never knew if that was something I'd be able to appreciate in my own lifetime."

Music:
Parisian Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) 
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/