The first legal marriage of a same-sex couple in the United States wasn’t in 2004, when Massachusetts began allowing them to wed. It was in 1971—and a new picture book tells the story of this little-known event in queer history!
Rob Sanders has made a name for himself writing picture books about (mostly) LGBTQ history. His 2019 book Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution, told the story of perhaps the most famous event in LGBTQ history from the perspective of the Stonewall Inn where it took place. His latest, Two Grooms on a Cake: The Story of America’s First Gay Wedding (Little Bee), showcases an event that is less well-known, but does so again through the perspective of inanimate objects—the two groom figurines on top of a wedding cake.
The anthropomorphic grooms take us on the journey of making their cake, paralleling it with the growing relationship of two men, Jack Baker and Michael McConnell. “There are no recipes for weddings,” the grooms note, “But there are laws for marriages.” And while their cake has lots of ingredients, a wedding needs only two—two people. Just as the ingredients of a cake must blend, however, so must two people, as did Jack and Michael after they met each other at a dance. They spent time together, got to know each other, and eventually fell in love. “Baking takes time,” the grooms note.
When the men tried to get a marriage license in 1970, however, they were told no. Jack then studied law and got an idea. He changed his name to the gender-ambiguous “Pat” and applied again for a license. It was granted. The cake was almost complete, and the grooms were placed on top, “Our feet planted firmly in the fluffy frosting.” The men had their wedding ceremony on September 3, 1971. They spent decades together, and 50 years later are still married.
The main part of the book leaves out some details of their story, which an Author’s Note at the end fills in. The county that issued their license never recorded their signed marriage certificate, although the license was issued, witnessed, and certified—but nor did they or the state take action against the couple. The case about Jack and Michael’s first marriage license application made it to the U.S. Supreme Court, which dismissed it in 1972, saying that they could not answer the question of same-sex marriage at the time. [Technically, they said, “for want of a substantial federal question.”] That meant the marriage stood. In the 2015 Supreme Court decision that legalized marriage equality nationwide, the justices wrote specifically that the men’s case, Baker v. Nelson, “must be and now is overruled.”
The end matter also includes photos of Jack and Michael from 1960 to 2015, a bibliography, and a timeline of marriage equality. The last, while useful, could be clarified in a few places. Terms like “domestic partnership” and the “Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)” are mentioned but never explained. Even readers who know what DOMA is may be confused to learn that in 2011 “President Barack Obama declares DOMA unconstitutional” but in 2013, “The U.S. Supreme Court rules that Section 3 of DOMA is unconstitutional.” And the entry for 2010 says “California’s voter-passed ban on same-sex marriage from 2008, known as Prop 8, is declared unconstitutional”—but an entry for 2012 says, “The Ninth Circuit Court of California declares Prop 8 unconstitutional.” This begs the question of who had declared it unconstitutional in 2010. (Answer: The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.)Â Additionally, an entry for 2000 notes that “The Central Conference of American Rabbis agrees to allow religious ceremonies for same-sex couples”; it might have been more helpful to say instead, “The Rabbinic leadership organization for Reform Judaism, the largest Jewish denomination in the U.S., agrees to allow religious ceremonies for same-sex couples,” so as not to imply that CCAR spoke for all Jewish denominations; they don’t. (And in fact, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association had sanctioned marriage for same-sex couples back in 1993.)
These issues, however, don’t impact the main story at all. There, Sanders offers just enough details to feel informative without overwhelming young readers. The comparison of a relationship/marriage with baking a cake is sweet one, and helps lighten the historical tale. And there’s a folk-art sort of charm about Robbie Cathro’s illustrations, some of which show the two small groom figurines whizzing about the kitchen as they make their cake, holding giant spoons and hoisting eggs over their heads. Other images focus on Jack and Michael, as they meet at a barn dance, date, try to get a marriage license, and finally wed, clearly in love all the while. Michael and Jack are White, as are the grooms. Some of the people at the dance and some guests at their wedding are people of color.
This delightful and layered story offers a sweet taste of LGBTQ history and should find a welcome place on many bookshelves.
Aside from his book on Stonewall, Sanders’ other historical books include Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag; The Fighting Infantryman: The Story of Albert D. J. Cashier, Transgender Civil War Soldier; and Mayor Pete: The Story of Pete Buttigieg (though whether the last is history or current biography is a matter of opinion). For more of Sanders’ books, historical and otherwise, see my database.