Don't tell me to wait : how the fight for gay rights changed America and transformed Obama's presidency

369 Pages·2015·1.41 MB·English

by  Eleveld

PRAISE FOR
Don’t Tell Me to Wait
“Kerry Eleveld is one of the great journalists of this
generation, and she was uniquely qualifi ed to cover its
most epic civil rights battle. A spectacular writer who loves
truth. This book is a riveting story fi lled with the passion of
those that she covered over the years. An epic story told by
an epic journalist. It just doesn’t get any better!”
—DAVID MIXNER,
author of Stranger Among Friends
“At last, the detailed account of how a president was
confronted and how he, along with an entire nation,
transformed. Kerry Eleveld, a journalist deep in the thick
of it, takes us from the White House and Capitol Hill
to the passionate organizers in the streets and the savvy
activists online who drove an unstoppable campaign.
Don’t Tell Me To Wait is an important, must-read book
that sets the record straight on how history was made.”
—MICHELANGELO SIGNORILE,
author of It’s Not Over
99778800446655007744889911--tteexxtt..iinndddd aa 77//2244//1155 11::4433 PPMM
99778800446655007744889911--tteexxtt..iinndddd bb 77//2244//1155 11::4433 PPMM
DON'T TELL
ME TO WAIT
99778800446655007744889911--tteexxtt..iinndddd ii 77//2244//1155 11::4433 PPMM
99778800446655007744889911--tteexxtt..iinndddd iiii 77//2244//1155 11::4433 PPMM
D O N ' T T E L L
M E TO WA I T
.................
How the Fight for Gay Rights Changed America
and Transformed Obama’s Presidency
Kerry Eleveld
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
NEW YORK
99778800446655007744889911--tteexxtt..iinndddd iiiiii 77//2244//1155 11::4433 PPMM
Copyright © 2015 by Kerry Eleveld.
Published by Basic Books,
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of
this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles
and reviews. For information, contact Basic Books, 250 West 57th Street,
New York, NY 10107.
Books published by Basic Books are available at special discounts for bulk
purchases in the United States by corporations, institutions, and other
organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets
Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200,
Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call [phone], ext. 5000, or e-mail
[email protected].
Designed by Linda Mark
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data.
Eleveld, Kerry, author.
Don’t tell me to wait : how the fi ght for gay rights changed America and
transformed Obama’s presidency / Kerry Eleveld.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-465-07489-1 (hardback)—ISBN 978-0-465-07349-8 (e-book)
1. Gay rights—United States. 2. Same-sex marriage—United States. 3. Obama,
Barack—Political and social views. 4. Presidents—United States—Election—2012.
5. Gays—Political activity—United States—History—21st century.
6. Homosexuality—Political aspects—United States—History—21st century.
7. United States—Politics and government—2009– 8. United States—Social
policy—1993– I. Title.
HQ76.8.U5E44 2015
323.3’264--dc23
2015024502
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
99778800446655007744889911--tteexxtt..iinndddd iivv 77//2244//1155 11::4433 PPMM
To my father, for helping me envision what could be.
And to the activists who made it possible.
99778800446655007744889911--tteexxtt..iinndddd vv 77//2244//1155 11::4433 PPMM
99778800446655007744889911--tteexxtt..iinndddd vvii 77//2244//1155 11::4433 PPMM
CONTENTS
Introduction ix
.
1 THE INAUGURAL INSULT 1
.
2 LOSING THE RELIGION 37
.
3 A BRIEF INTERVENTION 65
.
4 COURAGE IS JUST A LACK OF OPTIONS 95
.
5 GETTING EQUAL 123
.
6 LAME DUCK 161
.
7 THE LEGAL ADVANCE 185
.
8 NEW YORK STATE OF MIND 215
.
9 THE EVOLUTION 233
CONCLUSION 263
Acknowledgments 275
Notes 279
Index 331
. .
 vii 
99778800446655007744889911--tteexxtt..iinndddd vviiii 77//2277//1155 1122::0000 PPMM