The Wedding Heard 'Round the World

Fifty years after their marriage, Jack and Michael's story is one of the milestone events in the fight for equal rights, and this memoir the unmissable account a remarkable couple.

On September 3, 1971, at the dawn of the modern gay movement, Michael McConnell and Jack Baker exchanged vows in the first legal same-sex wedding in the United States. But the battle to get there - legal and emotional - was only the start of their incredible lives together.

Jack enrolled in law school, keeping his promise to Michael that he would figure out a way to marry. He did, but the repercussions would echo not only through their lives, but through those of everyo gay person in the US who ever wanted what this one pioneering couple did: a happy family life.

This is the story of how they met, how they married, and what came after. And one wedding heard 'round the world.

'A beautiful, well-written love story that is heartrending and ultimately heartwarming'

Robert Alexander, New York Times bestselling author of The Kitchen Boy

'A fascinating story of love and struggle that reads like a novel'

Washington Book Review

“A sweet story wrapped inside a righteous fight, told with charm and grace”

A beautiful, well-written love story that is heartrending and ultimately heartwarming New York Times bestselling author of The Kitchen Boy
A fascinating story of love and struggle that reads like a novel Washington Book Review
A wonderfully compelling told-to story of triumph in the extraordinary lives of Michael McConnell and Jack Baker. A great and memorable read Terry Kay, author of To Dance with the White Dog
Definitely something to put on your must-read list The Spectrum
Georgia Voice
Their appeal is how ordinary people can do extraordinary things Library Journal
A beautiful love story, fit for admission amongst history's great classics EDGE Media Network
Serves as a gentle reminder that there were couples plotting this victory long, long before a consensus formed around marriage equality The New Republic

Michael McConnell and Jack Baker are America's first legally married gay couple. They were married in Minneapolis in September 1971 in a small ceremony officiated by a Methodist minister, with an official license issued by a rural Minnesota county. They met in 1966 in Norman, Oklahoma. In 2010, Michael retired from the Hennepin County Library and Jack retired from his careers in law and engineering. They live in Minneapolis.

Gail Langer Karwoski is an author and educator based in Athens, Georgia. She met Michael McConnell and Jack Baker in 1972, the year after they were married. She is the author of many books for young readers, most recently When Hurricane Katrina Hit Home.

Fifty years after their marriage, Jack and Michael's story is one of the milestone events in the fight for equal rights, and this memoir the unmissable account a remarkable couple. On September 3, 1971, at the dawn of the modern gay movement, Michael McConnell and Jack Baker exchanged vows in the first legal same-sex wedding in the United States. But the battle to get there - legal and emotional - was only the start of their incredible lives together.Jack enrolled in law school, keeping his promise to Michael that he would figure out a way to marry. He did, but the repercussions would echo not only through their lives, but through those of everyo gay person in the US who ever wanted what this one pioneering couple did: a happy family life. This is the story of how they met, how they married, and what came after. And one wedding heard 'round the world. 'A beautiful, well-written love story that is heartrending and ultimately heartwarming' Robert Alexander, New York Times bestselling author of The Kitchen Boy 'A fascinating story of love and struggle that reads like a novel' Washington Book Review

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