TO HAVE & TO HOLD

New book to be launched at events in Cape Town and Johannesburg
Published on: 08 May 2008

UPDATE - 14 MAY 2008: [click here] to read an abridged version of the address by OUT's Melanie Judge given at the Cape Town launch.

 

“Like the movement it documents, this fine book is eloquent, creative and persuasive. It draws the big picture of one of the benchmark human rights campaigns of the post-apartheid era; it also humanizes this struggle with moving testimonies and personal memorabilia. It is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the politics of sexual identity and human rights in contemporary South Africa.”
– Mark Gevisser, author of "Thabo Mbeki: The Dream Deferred"

 

30 November 2006 saw South Africa become the world’s fifth country and Africa’s first to legalize marriage for same-sex couples. To Have and To Hold: The Making of Same-Sex Marriage in South Africa explores the journey to same-sex marriage. This collection of interviews, essays and documents recognizes the multiplicity of viewpoints on the topic, as well as the myriad aspects and efforts that shaped the making of same-sex marriage in South Africa. It seeks to offer those perspectives by drawing on the opinions of a wide range of experts as well as representing those for whom the right to marry holds the most meaning – the people whose marriages can now be legally recognized.

Contributions critically examine the legislative and advocacy process to marriage, the institution of marriage itself, and the meanings attached to it by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. The combination of historical documents, personal refl ections and academic and activist analyses of same-sex marriage makes To Have and To Hold invaluable for understanding this historic journey and its legal, social, cultural and religious ramifications.

The book is published by Fanele (an imprint of Jacana Media).

The initiative is supprted and funded by the follwoing organisations:

GALA - Gay and Lesbian Archives
OUT - LGBTI Well-Being
The Atlantic Philantropies