Lesbian and Gay Marriage: Private Commitments, Public Ceremonies - Hardcover

Sherman, Suzanne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0877229740 ISBN 13: 9780877229742

Publisher: Temple University Press,U.S., 1992

Synopsis

This collection of personal narratives explores the hotly debated issue of same-sex marriages. The twenty-four interviews with lesbians and gays who have celebrated wedding ceremonies as well as couples who remain unmarried or choose not to marry reveal the qualities that bind people in lifetime partnerships as well as the everyday tensions of committed relationships. Most of the interviews are accompanied by personal snapshots. The couples come from many regions of the United States and from diverse ethnic and class backgrounds. They include such prominent activists as Harry Hay, Phyllis Lyon, and Del Martin. These intimately described relationships are as new as three years and as enduring as thirty-eight. Each dialogue grapples with the reactions of family and friends to the couple's commitment and the everyday struggles of their own relationship. The interviews are preceded by essays by Thomas Stoddard and Paula Ettelbrick that offer opposing viewpoints on marriage. The book closes with a section of personal observations by ceremony officiators from a variety of religions from Catholic priests to a Wiccan high priestess and a resource directory. Although viewed by some lesbians and gays as an 'abhorrent ritual' of patriarchy and by others as a 'celebration of commitment', marriage is more than a relationship sanctioned by law; it is the centerpiece of the social structure and the core of the traditional notion of family. Why, then, are loving couples who jointly own homes faced with the cruel enigma that 'legally, we are strangers'? Author Suzanne Sherman is an editor, freelance writer, and creative writing instructor. She lives in the Bay Area with her partner. No - she hasn't been married.

About this title

Review:

"...provides a subtle and complex documentation of the many things marriage means in our society--especially...to couples who do not stand to benefit from the privileges it confers to heterosexuals." --The Women's Review of Books "A series of clear and intimate portraits of gay and lesbian couples... Lesbian and Gay Marriage makes a timely contribution... It presents a true picture of the nature of family and the diversity which is the heart of America. --Lambda Book Report

About the Author:

Suzanne Sherman is an editor, freelance writer, and creative writing instructor. She lives in the Bay Area with her partner. No she hasn't been married."

About this edition

• Publisher: Temple University Press,U.S.
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0877229740
• ISBN 13: 9780877229742
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288
• Editor: Sherman Suzanne