Accidental Activists

In early 2013 same-sex marriage was legal in only ten states and the District of Columbia. That year the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Windsor appeared to open the door to marriage equality. In Texas, Mark Phariss and Vic Holmes, together for sixteen years and deeply in love, wondered why no one had stepped across the threshold to challenge their state’s 2005 constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage. They agreed to join a lawsuit being put together by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLD.Two years later—after tense battles in the Federal District Court for the Western District of Texas and in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, after sitting through oral arguments at the Supreme Court of the United States in Obergefell v. Hodges—they won the right to marry deep in the heart of Texas. But the road they traveled was never easy. Accidental Activists is the deeply moving story of two men who struggled to achieve the dignity of which Justice Anthony Kennedy spoke in a series of Supreme Court decisions that recognized the “personhood,” the essential humanity of gays and lesbians.Author David Collins tells Mark and Vic’s story in the context of legal and social history and explains the complex legal issues and developments surrounding same-sex marriage in layman’s terms.

"All of the snags and triumphs in Accidental Activists serve to reinforce a story much broader than marriage equality. It is the story of 'good' vs. 'evil, ' and it unfolds on every scale. . . . Moral and emotional transparency is what made the plaintiffs, in the eyes of a majority of the judges, full 'persons, ' and, as such, they should no longer be victimized but treated with dignity under the law."--The Common Reader, "David Collins offers a spellbinding book on marriage equality. . . . The book is a compelling read, one that shows the inner workings of key cases, and tells an exceptional human story while illuminating the legal process to the reader."--Law and Politics Book Review, "Collins's writing is entertaining, employing a literary-nonfiction style that makes Accidental Activists read like a novel. . . . Collins commands empathy as he tells the story of Marc and Vic's eighteen-year relationship, a tale of breathtaking prejudice and dumbfounding ignorance, as well as a tale of passionate love, precious kindness, and enduring commitment."--Lone Star Literary Life, "Exceptionally well written, organized and told in the context of legal and social history that explains the complex legal issues and developments surrounding same-sex marriage in layman's terms, Accidental Activists is an impressively informed and thought-provoking read."--Midwest Book Review

David Collins taught English for forty years at Westminster College in Missouri. He has had unrestricted access to all materials related to the story of Mark Phariss and Vic Holmes, including legal communications and documents, and conducted extensive interviews with Mark and Vic and others involved in the case. He lives in Pineville, North Carolina.