For more than a century before gay marriage became a hot-button political issue, same-sex unions flourished in America. Pairs of men and pairs of women joined together in committed unions, standing by each other “for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health” for periods of thirty or forty—sometimes as many as fifty—years. In short, they loved and supported each other every bit as much as any husband and wife.

In Outlaw Marriages, cultural historian Rodger Streitmatter reveals how some of these unions didn’t merely improve the quality of life for the two people involved but also enriched the American culture.

Among the high-profile couples whose lives and loves are illuminated in the following pages are Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams and Mary Rozet Smith, literary icon Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, author James Baldwin and Lucien Happersberger, and artists Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg. 

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"Outlaw Marriages gloriously outs same-sex couples through history and celebrates their love and impact in theater, arts, and social change. If you love the guilty pleasure of reading People magazine for your celebrity-couple news, you'll love this book. And the fact-checking is flawless!"—Kate Clinton, humorist

“The volume will have particular appeal to readers of gender studies, but these stories ultimately prove that true partnership is gender blind.”—Publishers Weekly

“A thoroughly interesting look at gay and lesbian love, life and relationships.”—EDGE 

“Fifteen love marriages that dared not speak their name defied laws and mores, flouted conventions, and live today in Streitmatter’s essential, well-documented history.”—Booklist

“A nice gift for just the right couple.”—Kirkus Reviews 

"An engaging and well-researched volume with broad appeal to the LGBTQ crowd (especially couples) as well as social historians."–Library Journal

"In Outlaw Marriages he distills a wealth of information down to a lively and effective series of double portraits.”—The Gay and Lesbian Review

“…Streitmatter expertly threads together the historical backgrounds and incredible courage of these couples… it’s a damn good bunch of stories told in a very approachable 160-ish pages.”—The Stranger 

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Prologue
 
Chapter 1
Walt Whitman & Peter Doyle
1865–1892
Revolutionizing American Poetry
 
Chapter 2
Martha Carey Thomas & Mamie Gwinn
1878–1904
Opening Graduate Education to American Women
 
Chapter 3
Ned Warren & John Marshall
1884–1927
Building the Collections of America’s Art Museums
 
Chapter 4
Mary Rozet Smith & Jane Addams
1891–1934
Breaking New Ground in Social Reform and Global Peace
 
Chapter 5
Bessie Marbury & Elsie de Wolfe
1892–1933
Founding the Field of Interior Design
 
Chapter 6
J. C. Leyendecker & Charles Beach
1901–1951
Taking the Art of Illustration to a New Level
 
Chapter 7
Alice B. Toklas & Gertrude Stein
1907–1946
Expanding the Dimensions of American Literature
 
Chapter 8
Janet Flanner & Solita Solano
1919–1975
Pioneering a New Style of Journalism
 
Chapter 9
Greta Garbo & Mercedes de Acosta
1931–1960
Making Hollywood the Celebrity Capital of the World

Chapter 10
Aaron Copland & Victor Kraft
1932–1976
Inventing a Distinctly American Style of Music
 
Chapter 11
Frank Merlo & Tennessee Williams
1948–1963
Lifting American Theater to New Heights
 
Chapter 12
James Baldwin & Lucien Happersberger
1949–1987
Attacking Racism through Literature
 
Chapter 13
Robert Rauschenberg & Jasper Johns
1954–1962
Expanding the Definition of Art
 
Chapter 14
Ismail Merchant & James Ivory
1961–2005
Turning Literary Works into Sumptuous Films
 
Chapter 15
Frances Clayton & Audre Lorde
1968–1988
Raising a Voice for Women of Color
 
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes
Photography/Illustration Credits

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Rodger Streitmatter, a former newspaper reporter, is a member of the School of Communication faculty at American University. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his husband, Tom Grooms.

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