Michael Hardwick started fighting for LGBTQ+ rights in 1986.
In Bowers v. Hardwick, the Supreme Court ruled against equal rights for gay men. About 30 years later, Hardwick’s niece — Simone Chriss, a third-year UF law student — co-wrote an article explaining the history of same-sex marriage in the U.S.
Chriss, 25, and Danaya Wright, a UF law professor, co-wrote the article in Italy’s first journal on sexual orientation and gender identity. The article discussed the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, a landmark case in June 2015 that granted same-sex marriage as a fundamental right.
Roberto Virzo, a visiting professor from Italy, wrote in an email that he asked her to write the article because of her knowledge on gender law and rights of sexual minorities.
Wright said she wrote a few articles on the case but wanted Chriss to help with the article.
She spent five months working on the article, Chriss said. She researched the history of same-sex marriage, starting with her uncle’s case.
After the court ruling, the two narrowed the focus of the article to the progress of same-sex marriage in the U.S., she said.
“I think it’s important for people to see that this didn’t just happen overnight,” Chriss said. “I want people to understand how we got where we are today.”
Wright said Chriss focused on the details about the progress the U.S. has made on equal rights for same-sex couples.
Wright said they emailed back and forth, with her formatting the article and offering feedback.
She said it was interesting to write for a country whose legal system still has a long way to go in recognizing same-sex marriage.
“This gives them a roadmap about how we got to where we are,” she said.
She hopes it will help European countries create their own path to same-sex marriage equality, Wright said.
Chriss, who is openly gay, said she didn’t understand her uncle’s role in the 1986 Supreme Court case when she was younger. Now, she said she understands the fight for equal rights needs to continue.
“It’s already being chipped away at little by little,” she said.
For same-sex couples in Italy, Chriss said she hopes the article provides a source of hope.
Virzo said he expects the European audience to pay attention to the article.
“Our hope is to shake the Italian ‘Parlamento’ out of its apathy,” Virzo said. “Maybe our goal could be achieved at the end of this month. The Italian Parliament is expected to eventually adopt a law on same-sex partnership.”
To view the article visit articolo29.it/genius.
Contact Melissa Gomez at mgomez@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @MelissaGomez004.
