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 Pastrami on Rye by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book Christians and Muslims in Ottoman Cyprus and the Mediterranean World, 1571-1640 by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book Jury Decision Making by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book Moving Working Families Forward by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book American Cool by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book Public Religion and Urban Transformation by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book My Future Is in America by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book The Digital Person by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book Ingratitude by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book Revoking Citizenship by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book The Color of Kink by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book Lotions, Potions, Pills, and Magic by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book Priests of Our Democracy by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book The Urban Church Imagined by Katherine Franke
Cover of the book Making Media Work 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