Summary
Title: Civil Wars: A Battle for Gay Marriage
Author: David Moats
Publisher: Harcourt
ISBN: 015101017X
Pro:
• Focuses on the experiences of specific, real people debating hard issues
• Even-handed presentation of the arguments
Con:
• May become dated more quickly than most books on the subject
• Defense of civil unions over marriage is weak
Description:
• Follows the debates in Vermont over the creation of civil unions for gay couples
• Shows what people were arguing and why
Book Review
There are those who not only object to gay marriage, but also anything even vaguely marriage-like for gay couples because they cannot abide any social institution which confers legal recognition and approval to gay relationships. Others, though, wish to bar gays from marriage but recognize that gay couples deserve at least some of the same rights as straight couples and thus favor the creation of institutions like civil unions. This was the compromise reached in Vermont, but it was very difficult to achieve and it’s not at all clear that it was ultimately a victory for gay couples.
The story about how all of this played out is recounted eloquently and movingly in David Moats’ Civil Wars: A Battle for Gay Marriage. The Pulitzer-prize winning editorial page editor of the Rutland Herald, Moats provides insight not only into the legislative battle, but also the lives of the gay couples whose lawsuits helped change Vermont. Whereas most books on gay marriage tend to focus on legal issues and questions about rights, Moats’ book focuses on real people: gay couples, legislators struggling with their votes, legislators bringing pressure against each other, and activists trying to influence the process.
Because of this, Moats’ book is more an example of living, local history than legal or social argument. It’s the sort of book that can quickly lose immediate relevance because legal and social developments overtake it; on the other hand, it should remain perpetually relevant to anyone looking to better understand the nature of the debate in Vermont and how the two sides squared off against each other. This book also introduces readers to Vermont — in many ways, it’s the state itself that is the central figure in the book, with its character expressed through the interactions of its citizens over such a divisive issue.
Moats supports the cause of gay couples, supports the principle of gradual, state-by-state changes in marriage laws, and supports the creation of civil unions. For the most part, he doesn’t allow his personal biases to intrude too strongly and he generally gives a fair hearing to those who opposed civil unions, allowing them to make their case in their own words. At the same time, though, he doesn’t hesitate to make it clear just how hurtful, cruel, and even mistaken those words can be.
Moats wants to portray the opponents of civil unions and gay marriage in as sympathetic manner as possible. They are, after all, his neighbors and he doesn’t believe that they are evil. Even such a sympathetic recounting of their words and actions, though, cannot mitigate the terrible hatred and bigotry which they expressed on a regular basis. Supporters of gay couples were victims of continual hate and even threats — all because they considered possibly having the laws treat gays equally and with dignity.
Opponents were sincere, but so were opponents of desegregation. Opponents were devoutly religious, but so were opponents of the legalization of interracial marriage. A consistent theme in the statements of these people was that Vermont’s laws must reflect their understanding of their god’s laws and that Vermont must be “taken back” by Christians, for Christians. "Everyone else be damned" is the inevitable subtext of such a position, one enthusiastically endorsed by Christian Right activists all over America.
Many activists have sought to achieve the legalization of gay marriage through the courts, but if that doesn’t work the issue will have to be hammered out in the legislative process. If you have any curiosity about how that process may look, David Moats’ book provides some early indications; if anything, debate elsewhere will probably be more vicious and heated than it was in Vermont.
