Freedom to Marry

He had his flaws, we had our disagreements, and, like so many who worked with him, I had a few face-to-face arguments with him (which wasn't easy)...but was a giant, a pioneer, and a hero. As one of my college professors once remarked, in a turn of phrase that has stuck with me ever since, "It's not that great men have feet of clay; it's that men with feet of clay can still be great." And Barney was great -- brilliant, skillful, courageous, and, of course, endlessly witty.

My favorite personal moment with Barney was when he confessed to me, years down the road, that in our fight to win the freedom to marry, over which we had tussled, he had been "under-optimistic." My favorite quote of his I cannot recount here. 🙂

Congress needs the likes of him. And I will miss him.

Another huge step forward in -- respect for marriages celebrated abroad, and movement toward the Freedom to Marry throughout . Congrats to the activists leading the way.

Miłość nie wyklucza Kampania Przeciw Homofobii

Poland's leader promises to start recognizing foreign same-sex marriages, after EU court ruling - LGBTQ Nation He also apologized for the “years of rejection and humiliation” that same-sex couples have experienced in Poland.

Check out the conversation I had the other day with Democrats Abroad on what's at stake for LGBTQ+ Americans in the upcoming mid-term elections -- and what we all can do to defend and reinvigorate liberal democracy in the US and globally.

LINK HERE: http://bit.ly/427gUlO
PASSCODE HERE:

Some takeaways from our chat:
- Keep up on the news, but don't let yourself get overwhelmed by it. No wallowing! Focus on the pathway, not the problem.
- Find LGBT or ally organizations you can support financially or as a volunteer, as well as supportive candidates in key contests/swing states.
-Focus on and amplify the positive things that have happened for democracy lately (Democrats winning most special elections, regime change in Hungary, good court rulings in Poland, Hungary, etc.)
- Engage people in conversation, remind young people of their power and lessons from history on resilience, strategy, and hope
- And most importantly...VOTE, and get your friends, family, and others in your community to do so as well.

Overseas Americans, for more info on voting from abroad visit https://www.votefromabroad.org

Vote from Abroad: Request Absentee Ballots for US Citizens Vote from Abroad: Helping US Citizens Request Their Absentee Ballot to Vote from Outside the US

New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that the number of households led by same-sex couples has doubled since 2005 – and that many of these couples are married and raising children. It’s further evidence of the positive impacts of the freedom to marry, which has helped millions of Americans build their lives with confidence, dignity, and respect. Read more from the Census: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2026/04/same-sex-couples.html

Recent campaigns to undercut marriage equality have attacked kids, claiming that children of same-sex couples have been harmed by the freedom to marry. In a new article in the Los Angeles Times, Ben Karney – lead author of a RAND Corporation report on twenty years of the freedom to marry in the United States – debunks these claims. “If any harm resulted from allowing same-sex couples to marry, it ought to be well documented by now,” he writes. Read the full piece: https://bit.ly/482B3wL

Today’s Supreme Court announcement is another important signal to the Japanese government and Diet that it’s time *now* to enact marriage legislation.

No need to wait.

Japan is ready.

Every day of delay & denial is a day of injury to families & the economy. It’s time for the freedom to marry in . 🇯🇵

同性婚排除の規定は憲法違反か　最高裁大法廷が26年度にも判断へ：朝日新聞 　民法や戸籍法の規定が同性婚を認めていないのは憲法違反だとして、同性カップルらが国を訴えた6件の訴訟で、最高裁第三小法廷（林道晴裁判長）は25日、原告側の上告を受理し、裁判官15人全員で審理する大法廷…

ICYMI:

"How progressives can reclaim political power: Strategic advice from Evan Wolfson, founder of Freedom to Marry. The secret sauce combines focused analysis of voters’ concerns and where they get their information, plus a tested formula of hope, clarity, and tenacity."

How progressives can reclaim political power: Strategic advice from Evan Wolfson, founder of Freedom to Marry. The secret sauce combines focused analysis of voters’ concerns and where they get their information, plus a tested formula of hope, clarity, and tenacity. Interview by Sally O'Driscoll.

https://open.substack.com/pub/resistingproject2025/p/how-progressives-can-reclaim-political?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

How progressives can reclaim political power: Strategic advice from Evan Wolfson, founder of Freedom to Marry. The secret sauce combines focused analysis of voters’ concerns and where they get their information, plus a tested formula of hope, clarity, and tenacity. Interview by Sally O'Driscoll.

The U.S. Supreme Court did the right thing this week by denying review of Kim Davis' petition requesting that the Court revisit the landmark 'Obergefell' ruling. Now, in USA TODAY, Marc Solomon explains why that decision was perfectly in line with where the country stands on marriage. Read his piece: https://bit.ly/47T6wAq

MUST READ: Mary Bonauto of GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders - GLAD Law and Marc Solomon, former National Campaign Director of Freedom to Marry, published a new op-ed this week that level-sets about Kim Davis’ petition to the Supreme Court to revisit Obergefell, and underlines why the case for the freedom to marry is stronger than ever. They highlight the robust bipartisan support for the freedom to marry, significant evolutions from former opponents, and two decades of evidence that marriage equality helps families and harms no one. Please read and share:

Same-sex marriage has overwhelming support. Supreme Court should let ruling stand. | Opinion For many Americans, same-sex marriage isn't about politics. It's about letting people live their lives. That's the reality, and it's working.