“The Engagement” A conversation with Sasha Issenberg and David Chalian
"The Engagement" A conversation with Sasha Issenberg and David Chalian
On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that state bans on gay marriage were unconstitutional, making same-sex unions legal across the United States. But the road to that momentous decision was much longer than many know. Please join us for a special talk with Sasha Issenberg, author of “The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage,” in conversation with David Chalian, Vice President of Political Coverage and Political Director at CNN. The two will discuss same-sex marriage’s unexpected path from the unimaginable to the inevitable.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Sasha Issenberg takes us back to Hawaii in the 1990s, when that state’s courts first started grappling with the question of marriage equality, through the emergence of the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 that raised marriage to a national issue, to the first legal same-sex weddings in Massachusetts, to the epic face-off over California’s Proposition 8, and finally to the landmark Supreme Court decisions of Windsor and Obergefell.
This richly detailed narrative follows the coast-to-coast conflict through courtrooms and war rooms, bedrooms and boardrooms, to shed light on every aspect of a political and legal controversy that divided Americans like no other. Following a cast of characters that includes those who sought their own right to wed, those who fought to protect the traditional definition of marriage, and those who changed their minds about it, “The Engagement” is certain to become a seminal book on the modern culture wars.
ABOUT SASHA ISSENBERG
Sasha Issenberg is the author of three previous books, on topics ranging from the global sushi business to medical tourism and the science of political campaigns. He covered the 2008 election as a national political reporter in the Washington bureau of The Boston Globe, the 2012 election for Slate, the 2016 election for Bloomberg Politics and Businessweek, and 2020 for The Recount. He is the Washington correspondent for Monocle, and has also written for New York Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, and George, where he served as a contributing editor. He teaches in the political science department at UCLA.
ABOUT DAVID CHALIAN
David Chalian is CNN’s Vice President of Political Coverage and Political Director. Chalian oversees CNN’s daily political coverage across all platforms, the polling and decision desk operations, and helps guide the editorial content for the network’s special event political programming. Chalian also plays an instrumental role in the network’s daily coverage by providing on-air political analysis across the network’s programs. Before this, Chalian served as Washington Bureau Chief for Yahoo! News, Political Editor and on-air political analyst for PBS NewsHour, and ABC News’ Political Director.
ABOUT THE EVENT – AS OF MID SEPTEMBER
Please note: We are thrilled to be welcoming our community back to in-person events with The Center! Our utmost priority is the health and safety of our staff, visitors, and community. The Center is actively monitoring the ongoing situation with COVID-19 and the Delta variant as well as the guidelines from New York City, New York State, and the CDC. The Center will keep guests apprised of all requirements for entry to the building, and will continue to update this page with current safety policies.
To request an accommodation for this event, please contact Richard Morales at rmorales@gaycenter.org or 646.502.6370 by September 28.
DETAILS
Tuesday October 5, 2021
6:30 p.m. ET (In-person)
$10 suggested donation