In the hours prior to Secretary Hillary Clinton making history when she accepted her party's nomination for president of the United States on July 28, the cozy Andersonville bar Joie de Vine was filled with jubilant women at a Lambda Legal fundraiser and celebration of the organization's book detailing another of this country's pivotal moments.
Edited by Lambda Legal Director of Education and Public Affairs Leslie J. Gabel-Brett and the organization's former executive director, Kevin M. Cathcart, Love Unites Us relates Lambda Legal's fight for marriage equality, the lives that were touched during those years and the tireless work of the organization to support them.
According to Lambda Legal's website, the book is replete with "the history of activists' passion and persistence in the struggle for marriage rights for same-sex couples in the United States, told in the words of those who waged the battle."
Among those warriors were Pat Ewert and Vernita Gray—the first same-sex couple to be married in the state of Illinois.
Ewert, who shared her and Gray's story in Love Unites Us, now sits on Lambda Legal's Women's Diversity Council. She was at the event, making sure everyone at Joie de Vine bought a raffle ticket.
"It is important that more women understand what Lambda Legal does and how vital they are in our community," Ewert told Windy City Times. "Lambda has a reputation as being more of a men's organization. Our hope with the Women's Diversity Council and evenings like this is to let more women know who Lambda is and how important it is to their lives."
Ewert acknowledged that adding her narrative to Love Unites Us was hard, as it called upon her to relive days when victory was followed by devastating loss.
"There were so many amazing parts, but the end of the story wasn't that great because I lost my wife in March [2014]," she said. "The reality of the story is that we were there when the governor signed equal marriage into law in the beginning of November and it wasn't supposed to take effect until June 1. Vernita never would have been alive. She had fought for equal marriage for 30 years in our community and to not get the opportunity to take advantage of it before she died would have been heartbreaking. But Lambda stepped up and that was wonderful to write about."
Leslie Henry is a fellow member of the Women's Diversity Council. Like Ewert, she hopes that all women, no matter their race, income level or their place along the gender spectrum will realize they have a staunch ally in Lambda Legal.
"Tell us about your story so we can tell you how Lambda Legal can help you," she said.
The historic nature of events occurring in Philadelphia at the Democratic National Convention were just as important to Henry who also recognized the significance of the November general elections and the dire consequences they could reap if people are not motivated to get to the polling stations.
"It's absolutely my greatest fear," she said. "If you look at the demographics of people who don't tend to vote, it is people of color, LGBT and other disenfranchised groups. I am black, gay and a woman. If we don't get out and vote, we are in trouble. A person could [become President] who attacks all of that. All the LGBT laws that are in place could be taken all the way backwards."
Ewert agreed.
"It concerns me a lot," she said. "Equal marriage and a woman's right to choose could be rolled back. It scares me."
Although she pledged to work hard to make sure people do go to the polling stations, Ewert acknowledged that such fear may be their greatest motivator.
"We just have to get our people as afraid as theirs," she said.
