Gay historian here : Probably not worth discussing, but just want to note that in Andrew Sullivan's farewell to New York Magazine, he claims that despite being a conservative, he "pioneered marriage equality."
This is just FALSE. #twitterstorians

Sullivan and his supporters point to an essay he wrote in 1989 for the New Republic entitled "Here Comes the Groom." It was highly influential, especially coming a self proclaimed conservative during the Reagan era. You can read it here: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2015/06/gay-marriage-votes-and-andrew-sullivan-his-landmark-1989-essay-making-a-conservative-case-for-gay-marriage.html

To be sure, many gay activists shrewdly thought that they could eventually pressure mainstream society to accept same-sex marriage if they could frame it in conservative language, to make it about "social cohesion" and the idea that gays are just like everyone else.

But the idea that Sullivan is somehow *the* pioneer of gay marriage is just inaccurate. It has long been *one* (and I want to stress the ONE here), ONE of the goals of gay activists since the early days of gay activists groups in the mid 20th century.

To be sure, MANY gay activists were suspect about even making it an issue in their quest for civil rights. Check out this 1953 issue of gay magazine ONE

Jump to the year 1970, a year after the Stonewall Uprising (and 19 years before Sullivan wrote his article). Law student Richard Baker & librarian James McConnell applied for a marriage license in Minnesota. The county clerk rejected their application.

Baker and McConnell appealed their case to the Minnesota Supreme Court in Baker v. Nelson. They lost, appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States, which refused to hear their case.

They would spend the next 45 years trying to convince their country that their desire to get married wasn't a threat to anyone else. In 2015, the US Supreme Court eventually legalized gay marriage nationwide.

To be sure, the marriage fight was just one facet of the American LGBTQ rights movements. And it definitely was helped by building a broad coalition of supporters, including gay conservatives like Sullivan.

But to call yourself a "pioneer" in 1989 is just a bit far fetched.

Alexa, remind me to stop using the phrase "to be sure."