What defines marriage? Evan Wolfson writer of Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People’s Right to Marry where the excerpt was drawn from describes marriage in a way familiar to most. “Marriage is what we use to describe a specific relationship of love and dedication to another person. It is how we explain the families that are united because of that love.” (wolfson pg. 90) Wolfson describes the definition of marriage on a personal level rather than the political way, for he believes this is what actually defines marriage. Evan Wolfson is a man named by Time Magazine in 2004 as among the 100 most powerful and influential people in the world. He is now the executive director of an organization called Freedom to Marry, which is for gay and non-gay partnerships fighting for equal marriage rights for everyone in the United States. Wolfson explains that gay and lesbian relationships are in tough situations, because it’s not only the meaning of marriage they are striving for it is everything that comes with marriage economically and politically. Wolfson argues that marriage is based off love for one another and responsibility for that loved one, and that gays and lesbians fit the criteria of marriage and should legally be able to wed.
Evan Wolfson goes into great detail about this subject giving examples of several different families who are either lesbian or gay. In doing so providing evidence to support his ideas making then more evident. The first family introduced in the text is Maureen Kilian and Cindy Meneghin of Butler, New Jersey, a couple for more than twenty-five. They are both working women, Maureen for Christ Church and Cindy a director of web services at a University. They have two kids, and wish that either Cindy or Maureen could stay home full time to help care for the children, but because of they are not married they are not eligible for Family health insurance, so they must both work to keep their family from losing their insurance. Wolfson introduced this family to show how they were hurt on an economic level, and how it also hurts their family not allowing them to spend the time they would like with their children. Another example Woflson provided is of Julie and Hillary Goodridge from Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. This lesbian couple has been in a relationship together years upon years and are raising their young adopted child together. They asked their child of whom she might know that love each other, the child named several