What do you think?
The People's Victory
"
The People’s Victory
is a mirror for each of us to see our own power to fight for justice and create the change we want to see in our world.” – Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor of California
In 1996, a small group of Americans from all walks of life banded together to create one of the most miraculous political victories in modern American history. Opponents attacked the issue of marriage equality as amoral and a direct threat to families. Allies warned that it was a generation away from being practicable and a selfish drain of precious political capital.
A stirring oral history told by those who almost inexplicably found themselves fighting on the front lines, The People's Victory recounts the successes – and the setbacks – that only served to strengthen everyone’s resolve to resist, fight, and bring equal marriage rights to an entire nation. Through it all, these love warriors found their voice and home in Marriage Equality USA, the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots organization of its kind. While high profile books, articles and documentaries have covered the judicial and legislative machinations, this book puts a human face on the people who made the everyday personal sacrifices to keep the movement alive. The People’s Victory shares deeply moving personal testimonies of over sixty people, from Marvin Burrows, who was forced out of his home and lost many treasured possessions after losing his lost his partner of fifty years; to Kate Burns, who risked arrest for the first time when she stood up for her relationship; to Mike Goettemoeller, who pushed his mother in a wheelchair with Marriage Equality USA to fulfill her dream of marching in a Pride parade.
Edie Windsor, the triumphant lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court case United States vs. Windsor recounts shouting down a major LGBTQ organization with “I’m 77 years old and I can’t wait!!” when they attempted to belittle marriage as a critical issue. Writer and producer Del Shores shares the touching moment his young teenage daughter used tears and laughter to console him after the passage of Proposition 8 in California dealt a blow to the cause.
The People’s Victory is an inspirational roadmap for anyone who has felt passionately about an issue, but has questioned whether one person’s contribution can make a difference. These candid accounts once again prove that every movement for important social change must be built on the acts of everyday. In fact, that is the only way the people have ever been victorious.
In his introduction, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom writes: “I hope these stories inspire you to resist, to fight, to win and in the end write the next stories in our continuing push for a more just and perfect union.”
In 1996, a small group of Americans from all walks of life banded together to create one of the most miraculous political victories in modern American history. Opponents attacked the issue of marriage equality as amoral and a direct threat to families. Allies warned that it was a generation away from being practicable and a selfish drain of precious political capital.
A stirring oral history told by those who almost inexplicably found themselves fighting on the front lines, The People's Victory recounts the successes – and the setbacks – that only served to strengthen everyone’s resolve to resist, fight, and bring equal marriage rights to an entire nation. Through it all, these love warriors found their voice and home in Marriage Equality USA, the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots organization of its kind. While high profile books, articles and documentaries have covered the judicial and legislative machinations, this book puts a human face on the people who made the everyday personal sacrifices to keep the movement alive. The People’s Victory shares deeply moving personal testimonies of over sixty people, from Marvin Burrows, who was forced out of his home and lost many treasured possessions after losing his lost his partner of fifty years; to Kate Burns, who risked arrest for the first time when she stood up for her relationship; to Mike Goettemoeller, who pushed his mother in a wheelchair with Marriage Equality USA to fulfill her dream of marching in a Pride parade.
Edie Windsor, the triumphant lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court case United States vs. Windsor recounts shouting down a major LGBTQ organization with “I’m 77 years old and I can’t wait!!” when they attempted to belittle marriage as a critical issue. Writer and producer Del Shores shares the touching moment his young teenage daughter used tears and laughter to console him after the passage of Proposition 8 in California dealt a blow to the cause.
The People’s Victory is an inspirational roadmap for anyone who has felt passionately about an issue, but has questioned whether one person’s contribution can make a difference. These candid accounts once again prove that every movement for important social change must be built on the acts of everyday. In fact, that is the only way the people have ever been victorious.
In his introduction, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom writes: “I hope these stories inspire you to resist, to fight, to win and in the end write the next stories in our continuing push for a more just and perfect union.”
- GenresNonfictionPolitics
230 pages, Hardcover
Published October 2, 2017
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 1, 2017
These collective stories are an amazing testament to all those that fought for and continue to fight for our equal rights. I think what I liked the most was hearing true stories that differ but yet the goal is the same. It's well written, easy to read and I feel like I have to read it a few times just to absorb all the stories. Well done! And it's a free download so why not give it a try. I highly recommend it, you will not be disappointed.
October 3, 2017
The People's Victory is about love. Through everyday and not so everyday acts, the countless volunteers of Marriage Equality USA worked tirelessly for years to change hearts and minds, one person at a time. Through telling their stories, rallying in the streets, and meeting with elected officials, they put a "face" on marriage equality that helped contribute to the momentous Supreme Court victory in 2015 declaring the freedom to marry for all Americans. This book is a testament to all of the "Love Warriors" and to everyone who fights for civil rights and justice. Take the time to read it. You'll be glad you did.
April 17, 2022
Remember The Humanity
Marriage equality remains a polarizing issue for some, even nearly a decade after Obergefell. Sometimes it’s important for people on both sides of the issue to listen to the stories and concerns of the folks they oppose. This book is an anthology of stories from activists, parents, clergy and a lot of ordinary folks that fought for the right to marry. As long as the government is in the marriage business, and provides disparate treatments for married and unmarried couples, the equal protection and full faith and credit clauses of the constitution must hold. It’s easy to make theoretical arguments, but seeing the humanity helps the reader understand the passion and real concerns behind the issue.
Marriage equality remains a polarizing issue for some, even nearly a decade after Obergefell. Sometimes it’s important for people on both sides of the issue to listen to the stories and concerns of the folks they oppose. This book is an anthology of stories from activists, parents, clergy and a lot of ordinary folks that fought for the right to marry. As long as the government is in the marriage business, and provides disparate treatments for married and unmarried couples, the equal protection and full faith and credit clauses of the constitution must hold. It’s easy to make theoretical arguments, but seeing the humanity helps the reader understand the passion and real concerns behind the issue.
September 2, 2021
Really loved this. Countless people participated, in big ways and small, in the long fight to achieve Marriage Equality in the US, and this book collects a wide range of their stories. The US may not have been the first country to legalise same-sex marriage, nor is it one where the existence of such a law is personally relevant to me - but when something as wonderfully monumental as this long overdue change happens in the US, the world pays attention, making this milestone important far beyond US borders.
September 29, 2017
Personal stories about public transformation!
A one-of-a-kind book on the marriage equality movement with stories from everyday people who had the audacity to believe they could change the world and became the leaders who did!
A one-of-a-kind book on the marriage equality movement with stories from everyday people who had the audacity to believe they could change the world and became the leaders who did!
October 18, 2017
This book was fun to read
This book was fun to read. So many people gave their time, their voices and their hearts to win Marriage Equality and here are their stories.
This book was fun to read. So many people gave their time, their voices and their hearts to win Marriage Equality and here are their stories.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews