As the national campaign director at Freedom to Marry and with 13 years in the movement, Marc Solomon has witnessed the comings and goings of case after critical case leading to marriage equality in more than half of the United States.
Working full-time on the cause since 2004, Solomon has detailed knowledge of how we got here, so it seems appropriate that he has authored a book on the subject of marriage equality.
Solomon will be in Chicago at the Organizing for Action office Monday, Dec. 15.
His book, Winning Marriage: The Inside Story of How Same-Sex Couples Took on the Politicians and Pundits—and Won, is not a one-topic tome. The Defense of Marriage Act ( DOMA ), Don't Ask, Don't Tell ( DADT ) and Proposition 8 are all major players in the collective.
"I talk about all of these [issues] in the section on Obama and his journey to support," Solomon said. "The repeal of DADT was so important because it showed the president that there wouldn't be any backlash from doing the right thing on matters LGBT. Many in the administration were surprised at how little blowback there was after DADT was repealed. And so it set the stage for the president's leadership in not defending DOMA and ultimately embracing the freedom to marry. It showed him that he'd get much more positive support for making these key advances than pushback from opponents."
The respectful tone of Solomon's narrative in Winning Marriage served as a bridge between marriage equality organizers and readers.
"I strongly believe that a key reason we've done so well on the cause is by appealing to people's better angels, to the kind of person they want to think of themselves as being," Solomon said. "That's why being respectful of those who are struggling with the cause, having a positive tone, and welcoming them to our side once they've evolved, is so crucial."
President Obama's "evolution" on the subject of marriage equality is one focus of the book. Obama had actually backed marriage equality when he was first elected to the Illinois state Senate, in 1996, in a survey he completed for Outlines newspaper, which purchased and merged with Windy City Times in 2000. He later backtracked in favor of the compromise of civil unions.
`Has POTUS read Solomon's volume on the fight for full and equal marriage in the United States?
"I don't know if he's read it, but I do know that staffers both in the administration today and some who have left have read it and find it both an accurate account as well as a favorable account of his leadership on the cause," Solomon said.
Vice President Joe Biden's 2012 Meet the Press interview is a strong component in Winning Marriage. Why was it considered an important anecdote to include?
"It was certainly a powerful moment, and it showed the power of the personal story and personal connection to helping someone—someone very important—evolve on the issue. It did get the president to come out for marriage more quickly than he was prepared to do. However, it did not ultimately play a key role in whether or not Obama would embrace the freedom to marry," Solomon pointed out. "Obama had already made up his mind, and was planning to embrace marriage a couple of weeks later. The effort that we at Freedom to Marry drove to insert a marriage plank in the Democratic platform helped put pressure on the president to come out in favor well before the convention in September [2012]. And he'd already made up his mind to do so."
When it came to the ever-pressing subject of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, there was a test in place.
"The 'Sarah Palin Test' was what the White House counsel's office applied to determine whether or not it should defend a statute in federal courts. Ordinarily, the president and attorney general's job is to defend all laws on the books. At the same time, the president and AG also take an oath to uphold the constitution. So the question was what to do when those two requirements came into conflict, as they appeared they might on DOMA," Solomon explained. "The president, who is a law professor, believed that it was crucial to get this one right. And his staff wanted to be sure that they didn't create precedents that a future administration—like a Palin administration—could simply choose not to defend laws on the books—laws like Obamacare. Thus, the Sarah Palin test came about. Could a Palin president use the Obama administration's rationale to stop defending laws that were on the books that they simply disagreed with?"
Solomon predicts a 50-state marriage win in 2015.
"If we work hard and make the same strong case in the court of public opinion that our lawyers are making in the courtroom, we have a solid chance of prevailing nationwide in the Supreme Court this term, which ends in June, 2015," Solomon said.
The Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry plank offers an inclusive viewpoint on same-sex marriage and might very well become a critical moment in the 2016 presidential race. How much of an impact will this plank have on the Republican presidential candidacy in 2016?
"I think that the effort, and most importantly the growing public support for marriage among Republican voters, will make it much more likely that the GOP candidates will de-emphasize opposition to marriage, hoping to maintain their appeal to independent voters who are turned off by anti-gay rhetoric," Solomon answered.
And with all of this talk about public office, will we ever see a Solomon ticket?
"I've thought about it, but I've found that I prefer advocating and strategizing on behalf of causes that I believe in and influencing elected officials to do take tangible steps forward rather than being an elected official myself," Solomon said.
When asked if the Republican control of the U.S. House and Senate would alter the course of marriage equality in remaining states, Solomon replied, "I don't think it will."
With a book tour currently underway in major cities like Chicago; New York; Washington, D.C.; Seattle; and Boston, Solomon is getting back in touch with his roots.
"It's been so incredible having people from every aspect of my life attend book events—childhood friends, family members, same-sex couples who fought so hard along with lawmakers who were leaders on the cause," Solomon said.
The Land of Lincoln battle for marriage equality in 2013 is discussed in Winning Marriage. Chicago-based lesbian couple Lauren Verdich and Gail Morse are pictured with Obama in the book, and Morse is interviewed about pressuring him to move forward on marriage.
"I honestly was amazed at how brazen elected officials were in asking for campaign dollars, continuously [in Illinois]. The most important moment was getting [House] Speaker [Mike] Madigan to finally begin working members of the House himself. Once that happened, the votes began falling into place," Solomon recalled.
It takes a village or, in this case, a nation backed by organizers, supporters, politicians, and allies to create lasting change in politics spurred by public consciousness.
"The most common misconception [about our marriage equality victories] is that our progress happened on its own because of the change in demographics and the support of younger people. Also, that there was one person, one case that brought the victories about," Solomon said. "In fact, it's taken a movement of so many hard-working advocates—same-sex couples, organizers, LGBT folks and allies, donors, and more—to bring about the progress we've seen. There's been nothing inevitable about it. There've certainly been strong and strategic leaders—like Evan Wolfson and Mary Bonauto—but it's taken a real movement to bring about the amazing changes we've all accomplished, together."
Marc Solomon will be in Chicago at the Organizing for Action office on Monday, Dec. 15, 224 N. DesPlaines St., 5th floor, at 6 p.m. RSVP at www.freedomtomarry.org/page/s/winning-marriage-chicago-event .
