Primary Source Set: marriage and commitment
Marriage equality was upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States in 2015, but queer people were entering into committed relationships and holding weddings long before that. Over the years, many LGBTQ people have lived together in long-term monogamous relationships, sometimes protecting themselves from legal and social discrimination by using euphemistic terms to define their relationships, such as “companions” or “roommates.” Other LGBTQ people have been more public with their relationships, holding weddings and commitment ceremonies celebrated by family and friends. For instance, Cora Latz and Etta Perkins committed to each other in a formal ceremony in 1973 and renewed their vows in 1998 as retirees in the Jewish Home for the Aged. Queer people have adapted the imagery of weddings in many ways. For instance, some weddings incorporated drag, either for entertainment, as in the 1974 bar wedding of columnist Rude Ruth, or as a serious representation of self.
The legal battle for marriage equality in the United States was ongoing for decades and included increasingly public demands for recognition. In the 1980s and 1990s, queer couples gathered often, en masse or individually, to celebrate their unions. A movement arose around the issue of legally sanctioned marriage equality, and organizers pushed the issue at the local level. As a patchwork of laws and propositions developed, some couples married, then found themselves legally single again as new rules were rolled back. For instance, activists Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin were married multiple times in San Francisco as shifting rights impacted their legal status. Today, marriage equality is guaranteed throughout the United States, allowing contemporary people the right to commit to each other and enjoy the attendant legal protections that previous generations could not.
First wedding of Etta Perkins and Cora Latz (center, in black and white suits), early 1970s. From Cora Latz and Etta Perkins papers (#2003-43).
Selected Source Set
Additional Resources
The Bay Area Reporter has extensive coverage of queer weddings from the 1970s on.
Etta Perkins and Cora Latz digital collection.
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