“Why do people - gay or straight - need the state's permission to marry? For most of Western history, they didn't, because marriage was a private contract between two families. The parents' agreement to the match, not the approval of church or state, was what confirmed its validity.”

American author and historian, faculty emeritus at The Evergreen State College

Stephanie Coontz is an American author and historian, and faculty emeritus at The Evergreen State College. She is known for her work on the history of family life and marriage. She taught history and family studies, and served as Director of Research and Public Education for the Council on Contemporary Families, which she chaired from 2001 to 2004. She has written and edited several books on family and marriage, and appears in the 2017 documentary Monogamish, which looks at monogamy, marriage, and alternative relationship structures in American society.