June 5, 2021, 1:50 p.m. ET
Credit.Illustration by Giacomo Gambineri
Mr. Issenberg the author of âThe Engagement: Americaâs Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage.â
Anyone looking to understand how same-sex marriage went from legal in one state to the law of the land a decade later should not overlook the small crowd that gathered outside San Diegoâs Manchester Grand Hyatt hotel just past noon one Friday in July 2008, holding signs that said, âThe Hyatt of hypocrisy.â
Those present had been rallied by a retired Republican political operative named Fred Karger. His aim was the defeat of Proposition 8, a ballot measure that if passed, would ban same-sex marriage in California. Instead of aiming to mobilize voters or move public opinion against the measure, however, he decided to target the money behind it.
Legislation labeling discrimination “unacceptable” has been blocked by conservative lawmakers, showing how far the country has to go to fulfill the goal of equality enshrined in the Olympic charter.