Wedlocked

The Perils of Marriage Equality

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Law, Family Law, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Gender Studies, Gay Studies
Cover of the book Wedlocked by Katherine Franke, NYU Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Katherine Franke ISBN: 9781479815999
Publisher: NYU Press Publication: November 6, 2015
Imprint: NYU Press Language: English
Author: Katherine Franke
ISBN: 9781479815999
Publisher: NYU Press
Publication: November 6, 2015
Imprint: NYU Press
Language: English

The staggering string of victories by the gay rights movement’s campaign for marriage equality raises questions not only about how gay people have been able to successfully deploy marriage to elevate their social and legal reputation, but also what kind of freedom and equality the ability to marry can mobilize.

Wedlocked turns to history to compare today’s same-sex marriage movement to the experiences of newly emancipated black people in the mid-nineteenth century, when they were able to legally marry for the first time. Maintaining that the transition to greater freedom was both wondrous and perilous for newly emancipated people, Katherine Franke relates stories of former slaves’ involvements with marriage and draws lessons that serve as cautionary tales for today’s marriage rights movements. While “be careful what you wish for” is a prominent theme, they also teach us how the rights-bearing subject is inevitably shaped by the very rights they bear, often in ways that reinforce racialized gender norms and stereotypes. Franke further illuminates how the racialization of same-sex marriage has redounded to the benefit of the gay rights movement while contributing to the ongoing subordination of people of color and the diminishing reproductive rights of women.

Like same-sex couples today, freed African-American men and women experienced a shift in status from outlaws to in-laws, from living outside the law to finding their private lives organized by law and state licensure. Their experiences teach us the potential and the perils of being subject to legal regulation: rights—and specifically the right to marriage—can both burden and set you free.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The staggering string of victories by the gay rights movement’s campaign for marriage equality raises questions not only about how gay people have been able to successfully deploy marriage to elevate their social and legal reputation, but also what kind of freedom and equality the ability to marry can mobilize.

Wedlocked turns to history to compare today’s same-sex marriage movement to the experiences of newly emancipated black people in the mid-nineteenth century, when they were able to legally marry for the first time. Maintaining that the transition to greater freedom was both wondrous and perilous for newly emancipated people, Katherine Franke relates stories of former slaves’ involvements with marriage and draws lessons that serve as cautionary tales for today’s marriage rights movements. While “be careful what you wish for” is a prominent theme, they also teach us how the rights-bearing subject is inevitably shaped by the very rights they bear, often in ways that reinforce racialized gender norms and stereotypes. Franke further illuminates how the racialization of same-sex marriage has redounded to the benefit of the gay rights movement while contributing to the ongoing subordination of people of color and the diminishing reproductive rights of women.

Like same-sex couples today, freed African-American men and women experienced a shift in status from outlaws to in-laws, from living outside the law to finding their private lives organized by law and state licensure. Their experiences teach us the potential and the perils of being subject to legal regulation: rights—and specifically the right to marriage—can both burden and set you free.

More books from NYU Press

Cover of the book Weathering Change by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book Keywords for African American Studies by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book No Seat at the Table by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book God's New Whiz Kids? by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book Imagined Human Beings by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book Torah Queeries by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book The Emergence of American Zionism by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book African American Folk Healing by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book Religion and Progressive Activism by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book International Adoption by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book Human Nature by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book Complex TV by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book Race Consciousness by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book The Epistle of Forgiveness by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book Enforcing Equality by Katherine Franke
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy