Molly McKay
Encyclopedia
Molly B. McKay, born September 9, 1970, is an attorney and a civil rights activist for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered
individuals. McKay was the former Co-Executive Director of Marriage Equality California and the former Media Director for Marriage Equality USA. She has also been active in Californians for Same Sex Marriage and the California Freedom to Marry Coalition, and was the Associate Executive Director of Equality California. McKay married her longtime partner Davina Kotulski
in 2004 when Gavin Newsom
made same sex marriage legal for one day in San Francisco.
, began going to city halls in the Bay Area asking for marriage license
s and organizing annual "Marriage License Counter" protests to draw attention to the hundreds of rights same-sex couples are denied. In the United States
, marriage licenses are commonly issued at the local city hall, or office of government for the municipality, with a city employee on one side of a counter, and the applicant on the other side. In response to having her San Francisco
Marriage License invalidated, McKay joined her ex-wife Kotulski in organizing the "Marriage Equality Express
", an educational bus tour across the United States that culminated in the first national marriage equality rally in Washington, DC, on October 11, 2004. Time
and Parade
magazines included the rally when citing the importance of marriage equality activism as one of the top ten issues of 2004. Molly McKay co-founded Marriage Equality USA in 1996, along with several other activists, and continues to work with them to this day.
When Marriage Equality California merged with Equality California
in 2004, McKay led the Marriage Equality Project for the joint organization becoming Equality California's Field Director. McKay eventually left the organization in 2006 to rejoin Marriage Equality California's prior parent organization Marriage Equality USA.
, Newsweek
, Time and USA Today
. They are featured in three documentaries, the 2005 Carmen Goodyear- and Laurie York-directed Freedom to Marry (shown in seven countries and featured on PBS), the Geoff Callan and Mike Shaw 2007 release, Pursuit of Equality
, and I Will, I Do, We Did following the San Francisco marriages that took place in 2004. They have also appeared on several television shows including American Quest, documenting the National "Marriage Equality Express
", and a Queer Nation
TV special in New Zealand
.
In June 2011 McKay announced that she and Kotulski had separated, ending their 15 year relationship.
Pride Committee, and in 2004, she received the "Saints Alive" award from the San Francisco Metropolitan Community Church and was "sainted" by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
for her activism and advocacy on behalf of full marriage equality for all couples. In 2006, Kotulski and McKay received the Michael "Switzer Leadership Award" from New Leaf Counseling Center in San Francisco.
Molly McKay has been recognized for her individual contributions as well. She received the Harvey Milk Democratic Club Community Service Award (2005), the Alice B. Toklas Community Service Award (2008), and GLOBE Community Service Award (2008).
October 5, 2004 "Taking gay marriage on the road Same-sex couples, supporters embark on bus trip across country" Marriage Equality Caravan
October 6, 2004 "BATTLE OVER SAME-SEX MARRIAGE" Marriage Equality Caravan
October 7, 2004 "A Grim Anniversary" Marriage Equality Caravan
October 8, 2004 "Tension Grips Caravan" Marriage Equality Caravan
October 9, 2004 "Freedom Riders Loaded with Tech" Marriage Equality Caravan
October 10, 2004 "Marriage rights caravan gets lots of 'no thanks' from gays along road." Marriage Equality Caravan
October 11, 2004 "Canvassing the nation for gay marriage rights Activists visit home towns en route to D.C. rally today" Marriage Equality Caravan
October 12, 2004 "Marriage equality caravan joins spirited rally in D.C.Tired but happy, couples renew vows"
Marriage Equality Caravan and Marriage Equality DC Rally
One Month Anniversary Of Marriage In California (July 20, 2008) - http://blog.protectmarriageequality.com/2008/07/20/one-month-anniversary-of-marriage-in-california/
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/07/census-wont-rec.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-06-16-gaymarriage_N.htm#uslPageReturn
http://www.orato.com/current-events/2008/05/30/hole-quilt-and-historic-moment
http://www.orato.com/current-events/2008/05/26/california-supreme-court-ruling-same-sex-marriage
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
individuals. McKay was the former Co-Executive Director of Marriage Equality California and the former Media Director for Marriage Equality USA. She has also been active in Californians for Same Sex Marriage and the California Freedom to Marry Coalition, and was the Associate Executive Director of Equality California. McKay married her longtime partner Davina Kotulski
Davina Kotulski
Davina Kotulski, Ph.D., born on January 22, 1970, is a well-known, long-time marriage equality activist and leader in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equal Rights movement. Kotulski began publicly advocating for marriage equality in 1999...
in 2004 when Gavin Newsom
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Christopher Newsom is an American politician who is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of California. Previously, he was the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco, and was elected in 2003 to succeed Willie Brown, becoming San Francisco's youngest mayor in 100 years. Newsom was re-elected in 2007...
made same sex marriage legal for one day in San Francisco.
LGBT Activism
Beginning in February 2001, McKay and her ex-wife, Davina KotulskiDavina Kotulski
Davina Kotulski, Ph.D., born on January 22, 1970, is a well-known, long-time marriage equality activist and leader in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equal Rights movement. Kotulski began publicly advocating for marriage equality in 1999...
, began going to city halls in the Bay Area asking for marriage license
Marriage license
A marriage license is a document issued, either by a church or state authority, authorizing a couple to marry. The procedure for obtaining a license varies between countries and has changed over time...
s and organizing annual "Marriage License Counter" protests to draw attention to the hundreds of rights same-sex couples are denied. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, marriage licenses are commonly issued at the local city hall, or office of government for the municipality, with a city employee on one side of a counter, and the applicant on the other side. In response to having her San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
Marriage License invalidated, McKay joined her ex-wife Kotulski in organizing the "Marriage Equality Express
Marriage Equality Express
The Marriage Equality Caravan, or Marriage Equality Express was an educational bus tour organized by the California chapter of Marriage Equality USA organized in response to the invalidation of 4,000 same-sex marriages that had taken place between February 12 and March 11, 2004 by the California...
", an educational bus tour across the United States that culminated in the first national marriage equality rally in Washington, DC, on October 11, 2004. Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
and Parade
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
magazines included the rally when citing the importance of marriage equality activism as one of the top ten issues of 2004. Molly McKay co-founded Marriage Equality USA in 1996, along with several other activists, and continues to work with them to this day.
When Marriage Equality California merged with Equality California
Equality California
Equality California or EQCA is a non-profit civil rights organization that advocates for the rights of LGBT people in California.-Early history:...
in 2004, McKay led the Marriage Equality Project for the joint organization becoming Equality California's Field Director. McKay eventually left the organization in 2006 to rejoin Marriage Equality California's prior parent organization Marriage Equality USA.
Legal marriage and Separation
McKay and her ex-wife, Kotulski, were the 17th same-sex couple married in San Francisco in 2004 and have appeared together on CNNCNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, Time and USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
. They are featured in three documentaries, the 2005 Carmen Goodyear- and Laurie York-directed Freedom to Marry (shown in seven countries and featured on PBS), the Geoff Callan and Mike Shaw 2007 release, Pursuit of Equality
Pursuit of Equality
Pursuit of Equality is a 2005 documentary directed by Geoff Callan and Mike Shaw, about the struggle of same-sex couples for marriage equality in the United States. Its focus is mostly on the same-sex marriages performed in San Francisco from February 12 to March 11, 2004.A major fundraising event...
, and I Will, I Do, We Did following the San Francisco marriages that took place in 2004. They have also appeared on several television shows including American Quest, documenting the National "Marriage Equality Express
Marriage Equality Express
The Marriage Equality Caravan, or Marriage Equality Express was an educational bus tour organized by the California chapter of Marriage Equality USA organized in response to the invalidation of 4,000 same-sex marriages that had taken place between February 12 and March 11, 2004 by the California...
", and a Queer Nation
Queer Nation
Queer Nation was an organization founded in March 1990 in New York City, USA by AIDS activists from ACT UP. The four founders were outraged at the escalation of anti-gay and lesbian violence on the streets and prejudice in the arts and media...
TV special in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
In June 2011 McKay announced that she and Kotulski had separated, ending their 15 year relationship.
Leadership awards
In 2003, McKay and her ex-wife received the "Defenders of Love" Award from the East BayEast Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The East Bay is a commonly used, informal term for the lands on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States...
Pride Committee, and in 2004, she received the "Saints Alive" award from the San Francisco Metropolitan Community Church and was "sainted" by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence , also called Order of Perpetual Indulgence in Australia and elsewhere, is a charity, protest, and street performance organization that uses drag and Catholic imagery to call attention to sexual intolerance and satirize issues of gender and morality...
for her activism and advocacy on behalf of full marriage equality for all couples. In 2006, Kotulski and McKay received the Michael "Switzer Leadership Award" from New Leaf Counseling Center in San Francisco.
Molly McKay has been recognized for her individual contributions as well. She received the Harvey Milk Democratic Club Community Service Award (2005), the Alice B. Toklas Community Service Award (2008), and GLOBE Community Service Award (2008).
Marriage Equality Caravan Photo Gallery
San Francisco Chronicle articles on Marriage Equality CaravanOctober 5, 2004 "Taking gay marriage on the road Same-sex couples, supporters embark on bus trip across country" Marriage Equality Caravan
October 6, 2004 "BATTLE OVER SAME-SEX MARRIAGE" Marriage Equality Caravan
October 7, 2004 "A Grim Anniversary" Marriage Equality Caravan
October 8, 2004 "Tension Grips Caravan" Marriage Equality Caravan
October 9, 2004 "Freedom Riders Loaded with Tech" Marriage Equality Caravan
October 10, 2004 "Marriage rights caravan gets lots of 'no thanks' from gays along road." Marriage Equality Caravan
October 11, 2004 "Canvassing the nation for gay marriage rights Activists visit home towns en route to D.C. rally today" Marriage Equality Caravan
October 12, 2004 "Marriage equality caravan joins spirited rally in D.C.Tired but happy, couples renew vows"
Marriage Equality Caravan and Marriage Equality DC Rally
See also
- http://www.pursuitofequality.com, Award winning documentary about same-sex marriage in San Francisco
- http://www.freedomtomarry.tv
2004
- http://www.washblade.com/print.cfm?content_id=2122 (February 6, 2004)
- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1674572 (February 13, 2004)
- http://www.ephemera.org/archives/346.html
- http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?o=0&f=/c/a/2004/02/13/MNGNH509QT1.DTL
- http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2004/02/14/16703031.php
- http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-celebration16-2008may16,0,2254757.story
- Interview with Molly McKay (February 14, 2004) - http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-20354376_ITM
- Los Angeles Times’ Rights vs. Obligations of Marriage (February 19, 2004) - http://articles.latimes.com/2004/feb/19/local/me-marriage19
- Senate kills gay marriage ban / Activists hail defeat of constitutional amendment—backers vow to try again (July 15, 2004) - http://www.sfchroniclemarketplace.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2004/07/15/MNGKE7LMNO1.DTL&o=0&type=printable
2005
- Berkeley Daily Planet’s Commentary: Jerry Brown’s Wedding Highlights The Need for Marriage Equality (June 28, 2005) - http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2005-06-28/article/21727?headline=Commentary-Jerry-Brown-s-Wedding-Highlights-The-Need-for-Marriage-Equality-By-MOLLY-McKAY
- Judge Strikes Down Same-Sex Marriage Ban (March 14, 2005)- http://www.zimbio.com/Molly+McKay/pictures/pro
- Remember San Francisco's gay marriages? Forget it (August 12, 2004) - http://www.boingboing.net/2004/08/12/remember-san-francis.html
2007
- Pride at Work’s Longshoremen Grant Retroactive Pension Benefits to Surviving Domestic Partner (August 23, 2007) - http://www.prideatwork.org/page.php?id=533
2008
- San Francisco Chronicle’s Bay Area demonstrations condemn Prop. 8 (November 15, 2008) - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/15/BAIA145AQ9.DTL&type=politics&tsp=1
- New York Times’ Gay Marriage Ban Inspires New Wave of Activists (December 9, 2008) - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/us/10marriage.html
- San Francisco Chronicle’s Same-sex marriage backers hit Capitol, churches (November 10, 2008) - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2008/11/10/MN4E141B3P.DTL&o=1
- USA Today’s Gay couples rush to wed ahead of Calif. Election (October 14, 2008) - http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-10-14-3874612028_x.htm
- California Chronicle’s ELLEN DEGENERES COMMENDED BY MARRIAGE EQUALITY (October 3, 2008) - http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/view/76349
- Boston Edge’s Same-sex marriage pioneer Del Martin dies at 87 (August 27, 2008) - http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc3=&id=79529&pf=1
One Month Anniversary Of Marriage In California (July 20, 2008) - http://blog.protectmarriageequality.com/2008/07/20/one-month-anniversary-of-marriage-in-california/
- CBS News’ Census Won't Report Gay Marriage (July 18, 2008) - http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/18/national/main4271220.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_4271220
- Miami Herald’s Census won't recognize gay marriages in 2010 count (July 2008) -
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/07/census-wont-rec.html
- USA Today’s Gay couples tie the knot in California (June 16, 2008) -
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-06-16-gaymarriage_N.htm#uslPageReturn
- San Francisco Sentinel’s ACROSS CALIFORNIA, SAME-SEX COUPLES MAKE CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY (June 16, 2008) - http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=13908
- The Hole In The Quilt And A Historic Moment (May 30, 2008) -
http://www.orato.com/current-events/2008/05/30/hole-quilt-and-historic-moment
- Video California Supreme Court Ruling: Same-Sex Marriage (May 26, 2008)
http://www.orato.com/current-events/2008/05/26/california-supreme-court-ruling-same-sex-marriage
- The Constitutionality of Prop. 22 (February 28, 2008) - http://cityonahillpress.com/article.php?id=1072
2009
- Lavender Newswire (January 5, 2009) - http://news.lavenderliberal.com/2009/01/05/marriage-equality-usa-releases-first-report-summarizing-failures-of-no-on-8-campaign/