Amending Their Ways

摘要

Matt daniels was ahead of his time. Long before gay marriage became a potent political issue-even before it was a realistic possibility in the eyes of gay activists-Daniels worried that liberal judges might one day overturn laws barring same-sex unions. Growing up in Spanish Harlem with a single mom on welfare, Daniels always had a keen sense of the importance of family. But as a lawyer pursuing a doctorate in politics, he grew incensed reading about judges who changed social policy from the bench. In 1999 he founded the nonprofit group Alliance for Marriage, and gay marriage soon became his focus. "I could see that this was inevitable," says Daniels, 40. His solution seemed drastic, but the only one he thought would withstand judges' meddling: an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Daniels took his quixotic crusade to the halls of the Capitol and, after diligent lobbying, managed to get the amendment introduced twice in the U.S. House.