Up To Date

Same-Sex Marriage Wasn't A Priority Until The Religious Right Targeted It

By Steve Kraske,

Published September 8, 2021 at 5:40 PM CDT

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On June 26, 2015 the White House was lit with the colors of the rainbow in celebration of the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage.

In his new book, Sasha Issenberg argues that the LGBTQ community's focus was elsewhere when conservative Christians unleashed an attack against same-sex marriage.

By 1990, America had reported more than 31,000 deaths from AIDS, and almost half the states still had "sodomy laws" banning sexual acts between persons of the same sex. These were the issues facing homosexuals as that decade began.

But when diehard Christians began speaking out against LGBTQ people applying for marriage licenses, and states passed laws and amendments to protect so-called "traditional marriage," the right to marry moved up on activists' to-do list.

Issenberg describes key players and moments in the decades-long fight for the right of same-sex couples to wed.

Sasha Issenberg, reporter and author of "The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage"

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Up To Date Podcast same-sex marriage civil rights author courts religion LGBTQ+

Steve Kraske

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.

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Reginald David

As an assistant producer on Up To Date, my goal is to amplify voices of people who serve as pioneers in their respective fields while shedding light on issues that affect underserved communities. I produce daily conversations to uplift and inspire the people of the Kansas City area to make the world a better place. You can reach me at reginalddavid@kcur.org.

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Danie Alexander

As senior producer of Up To Date, I want our listeners to hear familiar and new voices that shine light on the issues and challenges facing the myriad communities KCUR serves, and to expose our audiences to the wonderful and the creative in the Kansas City area. Just as important to me is an obligation to mentor the next generation of producers to ensure that the important conversations continue. Reach me at alexanderdk@kcur.org.

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