Venue: The Book Lounge, 71 Roeland Street, Cape Town

Time: 18h00.

About the book:

30 November 2006 saw South Africa become the world’s fifth country and Africa’s first to legalize marriage for same-sex couples. To Have and To Hold: The Making of Same-Sex Marriage in South Africa explores the journey to same-sex marriage. This collection of interviews, essays and documents recognizes the multiplicity of viewpoints on the topic, as well as the multiple aspects and efforts that shaped the making of same-sex marriage in South Africa. It seeks to represent those perspectives by drawing on the opinions of a wide range of experts as well as representing those for whom the right to marry holds the most meaning – the people whose marriages can now be legally recognized.

Whether the attainment of the right to marry and the Civil Union Act itself should warrant celebration or circumspection is examined through various essays – written by an impressive selection of academics, attorneys, researchers, activists and others. The book explores the national debate on the topic and the consequences of the legislation.

Contributions critically examine the legislative and advocacy process to marriage, the institution of marriage itself, and the meanings attached to it for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. The combination of historical documents, personal reflections and academic and activist analyses of same-sex marriage makes To Have and To Hold invaluable for understanding this historic journey and its legal, social, cultural and religious ramifications.