A Giddy Leap Through a Legal Window, Straight Onto the Barbeque Pit of Public Debate
This is what Barbara Sjoholm, judge for the Sarah Winnemucca Award for Creative Nonfiction said about Oregon Book Awards Finalist, The Brides of March: “Beren deMotier manages to create a spirited romp out of a contentious and often painful civil rights issue in present-day Oregon. Veering from laughter to despair and at times a breathless “you-are-there” intensity, The Brides of March takes the reader back to the brief window of time, in March 2004, when same-sex marriage was legal and couples rushed to the courthouse and the altar to take advantage of the law. A mother of three, Beren deMotier and her partner of twenty years took their vows with a bevy of brides (and grooms), only to find themselves the subject of public debate when the law was rescinded and their marriages declared invalid. Both poignant and hilarious, The Brides of March goes to the heart of a basic injustice in our society and should be required reading for those who want to deny the benefits of marriage to gay couples.”
“The Brides of March should be on everyone’s wedding gift registry. This memoir warmly, wittily chronicles the everyday details of “same-sex marriage” for an extraordinary political time. It’s a gift.” --Kate Clinton, humorist
"After all of the partisan rhetoric what about same-sex marriage means, what a welcome relief THE BRIDES OF MARCH is -- abeautifully-written, quirky look at the pros and cons of same-sex marriage from the inside out, smart without being preachy, funny without being bitter, emotional without being maudlin. I have not seen the argument for why being able to get married in one's own hometown is so emotionally important presented better anywhere." -- Anne Mini, Ph.D., author of A Family Darkly: Love, Loss, and the Final Passions of Philip K. Dick
"Author Beren DeMotier has a winner on her hands with The Brides of March, an absolutely hilarious and sobering memoir about lesbian motherhood, the quest for marriage, and the pitfalls of a legal system that doesn't know how to classify and acknowledge same-sex relationships. This richly woven memoir juxtaposes the author's own coming of age as a punk kid (and seemingly voracious teenage harlot) with her life now, as a wife and suburban mom with a SUV-full of precocious kids of her own. Brides is a quirky, witty, engaging, and beautifully crafted tale of a life lived.Every politician in Oregon should read it." -- Diane Anderson-Minshall, executive editor Curve magazine
“Marriage equality is one of the top hot button political issues of our time. It’s all too easy for the political to obscure the personal whenever the issue comes up, but The Brides of March makes that impossible. This story captures the deeply personal experience of marriage for one same sex couple and their family, set in the excitement and anxiety of six very special weeks when they were able to marry in Portland, Oregon. All of us who were there will find ourselves in this book, gay and straight alike. It is a memoir of a time that was both brief and life-changing, that truly brought out the best in us: joy, courage, and love. For those who were not there at the time, read this book and you will be there in spirit, to share in the very best of times.” -- Roey Thorpe, Director of Advocacy Services Equality Federation & Equality Federation Institute
"Beren deMotier provides an honest and compelling account of what it was like to be a family of “same-sex marriage” in Multnomah County. We changed procedure in order to follow Oregon’s constitution and allow couples like Beren and her wife, Jannine, to marry in March of 2004. We knew families were raising children and living daily lives, but not treated equally in our community. This book skillfully describes the experience before, during and after our decision with heart and clarity. Commitment to their young children and their family is the core of this book’s story. DeMotier opens your eyes to the heart and soul of this generation’s civil rights battle." -- Diane M. Linn, former Multnomah County Chair Beren deMotier's book, The Brides of March: Memoir of a Same-Sex Marriage, is a well-written tale of a time in our history when society had not advanced enough to understand the true meaning of equality and equal rights. However, deMotier treats the subject with humor and pathos and, in the end, it's a book that can stand tall on its writing as much as its subject. -- Maggi White Host: Profiles and Conversations With Maggi, OPB Accessible Information Radio Network