Same-sex marriage in early America up for discussion

Photo of Rachel Hope Cleves' book cover

Nipissing University welcomes Rachel Hope Cleves, associate professor of American History at the University of Victoria, to campus for a public lecture on her new bookCharity and Sylvia: A Same-Sex Marriage in Early America on February 3 from 5 - 6 p.m. in Room H106. 
The lecture will explore the history of same-sex marriage and reveal the strategies used by two ordinary women to achieve their extraordinary union.

Discover how Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake constructed a same-sex marriage in their traditional, rural, frontier community in the early nineteenth century and gained the toleration of their neighbours friends and family.

Supported by a rich and deep body of evidence Cleves uses diaries, letters, poems, and other primary source records to tell the intimate story of a relationship that could revolutionize your understanding of the history of marriage.

The public lecture is sponsored by the Faculty of Arts and Science with the support of the History Department and the Gender Equality and Social Justice Department. 

The lecture is free of charge and all are welcome, refreshments will be provided.

My Nipissing