Freedom to Marry

Freedom to Marry was a United States national advocacy organization dedicated to securing the freedom to marry for same-sex couples. Founded in New York City in 2003 by civil-rights lawyer Evan Wolfson, it operated as a campaign organization rather than as a commercial brand, combining legal strategy, public education, coalition building, political advocacy, fundraising, digital organizing, and media work. The organization grew out of a longer legal and intellectual campaign. In 1983, Wolfson wrote a Harvard Law School thesis arguing that same-sex couples had a constitutional right to marry. During the 1990s he worked as Lambda Legal's marriage director and was involved in litigation connected with Hawaii's Baehr case, which helped place same-sex marriage at the center of U.S. LGBT-rights advocacy. A major challenge grant associated with the Evelyn & Walter Haas Jr. Fund helped support the development of the campaign that formally became Freedom to Marry in 2003. Freedom to Marry described its central strategy as the “Roadmap to Victory.” The approach sought to create the conditions for a definitive national legal resolution through three mutually reinforcing tracks: winning marriage rights in a critical mass of states, building majority public support, and ending federal recognition of marriage discrimination. The organization emphasized a multi-year, multi-state, multi-partner, and multi-methodology model that combined litigation, legislation, ballot campaigns, public education, communications, grassroots organizing, fundraising, and electoral activity. Its work included supporting state coalitions, helping campaigns develop messaging and infrastructure, coordinating national media, and raising money for state-level contests. The organization also operated a Digital Action Center that supplied online tools, content, fundraising systems, and engagement strategies to campaigns in numerous states. Beginning in 2010, its Marriage Research Consortium helped develop the “Why Marriage Matters” messaging framework, which emphasized love, commitment, family, freedom, and equal treatment rather than relying principally on technical legal rights and benefits. Freedom to Marry also pursued bipartisan and cross-ideological outreach. Its “Mayors for the Freedom to Marry” initiative recruited more than 500 mayors from nearly all U.S. states by 2015. Its Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry project sought support among younger conservatives and included a campaign to change the Republican Party platform. In 2011 it launched an open letter urging President Barack Obama to support marriage equality; the campaign concluded when Obama publicly announced his support in May 2012. The organization also advocated for the Democratic Party's adoption of a marriage-equality plank, which occurred in 2012. The campaign's state strategy contributed to a rapid increase in legal recognition and public support. According to the organization's historical account, no U.S. states issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2002, while 37 states and the District of Columbia did so by 2015. During the same period, reported national support rose from 27 percent in 1993 to 59 percent in 2015. The Supreme Court's June 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges established a nationwide constitutional right to same-sex marriage, fulfilling the organization's principal objective. Freedom to Marry formally closed in February 2016 after completing its mission. Its records were subsequently preserved in archival collections, including at Yale University.

Freedom to Marry emerged from Evan Wolfson's long-term legal and political effort to establish marriage equality as a constitutional and civil-rights issue. Wolfson's 1983 Harvard Law School thesis argued that same-sex couples should have the same freedom to marry as different-sex couples. During the 1990s, he served as marriage director at Lambda Legal and worked on litigation associated with Hawaii's Baehr case. That case demonstrated both the potential of litigation and the political vulnerability of legal gains when public understanding and institutional support had not developed sufficiently. In 2001, a $2.5 million challenge grant associated with the Evelyn & Walter Haas Jr. Fund helped Wolfson build a dedicated national campaign. Freedom to Marry was formally founded in New York City in 2003. From the outset, it treated marriage equality as a movement-building project requiring more than courtroom victories. The organization's framework called for simultaneous work across multiple years, states, partners, and methods. Litigation was combined with legislative lobbying, ballot initiatives, public education, communications, grassroots organizing, fundraising, and political engagement. The resulting “Roadmap to Victory” sought to build a critical mass of state victories, move national public opinion into majority territory, and challenge federal discrimination. Freedom to Marry supported state coalitions by providing campaign expertise, funding, communications assistance, research, digital infrastructure, and coordination. The organization became particularly active in the 2012 state campaigns, when Maine, Maryland, and Washington approved marriage equality at the ballot, Minnesota rejected an anti-marriage amendment and later enacted marriage equality, New Hampshire preserved its existing marriage law, and New Jersey advanced marriage equality through state legislation. Messaging became a central part of the organization's work. From 2010, the Marriage Research Consortium brought together national and state partners to study voters who were sympathetic but not yet supportive. The resulting “Why Marriage Matters” playbook shifted the campaign's emphasis toward universal values such as love, commitment, family, freedom, and the Golden Rule. This approach was used in public advertising, personal-story videos, media outreach, and state campaigns. Freedom to Marry also developed a Digital Action Center that functioned as a technological and organizing resource for campaigns around the country. The organization deliberately sought support beyond traditional LGBT advocacy constituencies. Its Mayors for the Freedom to Marry campaign recruited hundreds of municipal leaders. Its Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry initiative sought to demonstrate that marriage equality could attract support from younger conservatives and Republicans. Freedom to Marry also worked directly on national political positioning. Its 2011 open letter campaign pressed President Barack Obama to endorse marriage equality, and Obama announced his support in May 2012. A separate effort helped secure the Democratic Party's 2012 platform plank supporting marriage for same-sex couples. By 2015, the organization reported a transformation in both legal status and public opinion: from no states issuing same-sex marriage licenses in 2002 to 37 states and the District of Columbia doing so, and from 27 percent public support in 1993 to 59 percent in 2015. The Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges ruling in June 2015 supplied the national resolution envisioned by the Roadmap to Victory. Freedom to Marry subsequently closed officially in February 2016. Its campaign records remain available through archival collections, including the Freedom to Marry Records at Yale University.

• 2016

  Organization formally closes

  [1]Freedom to Marryen.wikipedia.org

  Freedom to Marry completed its planned wind-down after the national Supreme Court victory.

• 2015

  Obergefell v. Hodges resolves marriage equality nationwide

  [1]Freedom to Marryen.wikipedia.org

  The Supreme Court recognized a constitutional right to same-sex marriage throughout the United States.

• 2012

  Marriage equality advances through state campaigns and national politics

  [1]Freedom to Marryen.wikipedia.org

  Multiple state campaigns succeeded, President Obama endorsed marriage equality, and the Democratic Party adopted a supporting platform plank.

• 2011

  Why Marriage Matters launches

  [1]Freedom to Marryen.wikipedia.org

  The public-education campaign introduced values-based messaging and stories from people affected by marriage discrimination.

• 2010

  Marriage Research Consortium begins

  [1]Freedom to Marryen.wikipedia.org

  Freedom to Marry coordinated research and message development with state and national partners.

• 2003

  Freedom to Marry is founded

  [1]Freedom to Marryen.wikipedia.org

  Evan Wolfson founded the national organization in New York City.

• 2001

  Challenge grant supports a national marriage campaign

  [1]Freedom to Marryen.wikipedia.org

  A $2.5 million challenge grant associated with the Evelyn & Walter Haas Jr. Fund helped finance the campaign that became Freedom to Marry.

• 1983

  Evan Wolfson writes a constitutional marriage-equality thesis

  [1]Freedom to Marryen.wikipedia.org

  Wolfson's Harvard Law School thesis developed an early legal argument for the right of same-sex couples to marry.

A national, bipartisan, multi-state campaign organization focused on changing public opinion, law, and political institutions to secure marriage equality for same-sex couples.

• Public education campaign · 2011

  Why Marriage Matters

  A national messaging and storytelling initiative launched in 2011. It used personal narratives and values-based arguments centered on love, commitment, family, freedom, and equal treatment to persuade voters who were open to marriage equality but not yet supportive.

• Digital advocacy infrastructure

  Digital Action Center

  An online organizing platform that supplied tools, content, fundraising functions, videos, and engagement strategies for Freedom to Marry and affiliated state campaigns. It helped connect national resources with local marriage-equality efforts.

• Political endorsement campaign · 2012

  Mayors for the Freedom to Marry

  A campaign launched in 2012 to recruit mayors as public advocates for marriage equality. More than 500 mayors from nearly all U.S. states had joined by the time nationwide marriage equality was achieved.

• Campaign fundraising program · 2012

  Win More States Fund

  A fundraising vehicle that directed resources toward strategically selected state campaigns. Its first round supported six 2012 target states, all of which achieved the specified defensive or affirmative marriage-equality objectives.

• 2014Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry

  United States

  The campaign sought to build support among young conservatives and promote reform of the Republican National Committee platform.

  Outcome. It broadened the campaign's bipartisan outreach, although the referenced material does not establish a change to the Republican platform.

  Source
• 2013Win More States Fund: second round

  United States

  A second funding round focused on Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.

  Outcome. The effort supported the broader final-stage state strategy preceding nationwide resolution.

  Source
• 2012Mayors for the Freedom to Marry

  United States

  The initiative encouraged mayors to publicly endorse marriage equality and frame it as a local question of justice and equal treatment.

  Outcome. More than 500 mayors joined by 2015.

  Source
• 2012Win More States Fund

  United States

  The fund targeted New Hampshire, Maine, Washington, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Maryland, directing national fundraising toward state campaigns.

  Outcome. All six targeted states achieved the campaign's desired outcome in 2012, including three first-time ballot victories.

  Source
• 2011Why Marriage Matters

  United States

  Freedom to Marry used research, advertising, videos, and personal stories to explain marriage equality through broadly shared values rather than only legal rights and benefits.

  Outcome. The framework became a major component of the organization's state and national persuasion strategy.

  Source
• 2011Say, 'I Do'

  United States

  An open-letter campaign urged President Barack Obama to state his support for marriage equality.

  Outcome. More than 122,000 people signed; Obama announced his support on May 9, 2012.

  Source

• 2015

  Wind down after nationwide victoryStrategy

  Background

  The Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges decision achieved the organization's defining objective.

  Action taken

  Freedom to Marry announced that it would close rather than continue as an organization focused on a completed national campaign.

  Aftermath

  The organization officially closed in February 2016 and its records entered archival preservation.

  Source

• 2012

  Concentrate funding on battleground statesStrategy

  Background

  State ballot and legislative campaigns required coordinated national resources to prevent isolated victories from being reversed or defeated.

  Action taken

  Freedom to Marry created the Win More States Fund and raised money for selected state campaigns.

  Aftermath

  The first round reached its initial fundraising goal and supported successful outcomes in all six targeted states.

  Initial fundraising goal. $3 million goal met (2012)

  Source

• 2010

  Shift toward values-based persuasionStrategy

  Background

  Research indicated that persuadable voters responded to personal and universal values more effectively than to technical explanations of marriage rights and benefits.

  Action taken

  The organization coordinated the Marriage Research Consortium and developed the Why Marriage Matters messaging playbook.

  Aftermath

  The message framework became central to subsequent advertising, digital content, and state campaigns.

  Source

• 2003

  Adopt a multi-track national campaignStrategy

  Background

  Freedom to Marry judged that litigation alone could not sustain legal gains unless public opinion, state law, and federal policy changed together.

  Action taken

  It developed the Roadmap to Victory, combining state victories, national persuasion, and challenges to federal marriage discrimination.

  Aftermath

  The strategy guided the organization's work until the Supreme Court's nationwide marriage-equality ruling in 2015.

  Source

1. 1Freedom to Marryen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Freedom to Marry official websitefreedomtomarry.org
3. 3Freedom to Marry Records, Yale University Libraryarchives.yale.edu