William E. Woods
William Everett Woods-Bateman (October 9, 1949 – September 28, 2008) was an American gay rights activist. In 1990, he took three same-sex couples to fill out marriage licenses, beginning the series of events that would lead to the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States.
William E. Woods-Bateman | |
|---|---|
 Woods in 1974 | |
| Born | William Everett Woods October 9, 1949 |
| Died | September 28, 2008 (aged 58) Honolulu, Hawai'i |
| Alma mater | University of Hawaii |
| Occupation | Gay rights activist |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Lance W. Bateman |
Early life and education
William Everett Woods was born on October 9, 1949, in Decatur, Illinois. He attended high school in Arthur, Illinois. He transferred from Millikin University to attend the University of Hawaiʻi, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and then a master's degree in public health.[1]
Career
After graduating from the University of Hawaiʻi in 1971, Woods worked at the Hawaii State Hospital before securing a job as a research statistician for the Hawaii Department of Health, which stationed him at the Kalihi-Palama Mental Health Center.[2] In 1972, he founded a social services organization called the Sexual Identity Center; it was intended to serve gay people specifically, but the name did not contain a reference to homosexuality because he did not want to deter straight experts from being involved.[3] Located in Pauoa Valley, the center was operated by a nonprofit called Love and Peace Together, which was also founded by Woods. He continued his work for the health department while running the new organization.[2]
In 1974, Woods was present at Hawaii's first pride parade.[3] His nonprofit Love and Peace Together organized a panel discussion about sex at Hawaii state prisons, titled "Sexuality and the Prison", which was the first in a series of twelve programs put on by the organization with a focus on "Sexuality at Work"; Woods served as moderator of the discussion.[4] Also in 1974, he wrote a letter to the editor of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in his capacity as director of the Sexual Identity Center, criticizing an article about Windward Community College that included "homosexuals" in a list of "misfits" that also included prostitutes, alcoholics, and people addicted to drugs.[5]
In July 1974, Woods announced a campaign for Hawaii Senate, running for a seat in the fifth district (west Honolulu). He was one of eight Democrats campaigning for four available seats in the district.[6] Woods campaigned on a platform of increased regulation for social service organizations, better controls on the conduct of government officials, and stricter rules for expenditure of public funds.[2] He called for legalization of marijuana in Hawaii, describing the amount of government resources expended on marijuana-related prosecutions as "appalling" and arguing that legalization would free up that money to be put toward more important causes.[7] He additionally expressed an intent to grant civil rights "to those still discriminated against"; The Honolulu Advertiser noted his status as a member of Gay Liberation Hawaii and the Hawaii Council of Gay Organizations along with Pauoa Community Association and the Metropolitan Community Church.[8] At the time, Woods described his campaign as "very low key", and stated that he was seeking the support of groups rather than canvassing because of a lack of funding.[9]
In 1979, Woods was one of Hawaii's four representatives on the steering committee for the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.[10]
In May 1981, when Jerry Falwell Sr. came to Hawaii to open a state chapter of Moral Majority, Woods led a group to register the name before Falwell could. The resulting organization, Moral Majority of Hawaii, ran newspaper advertisements proclaiming support for "family planning, civil rights for all people, pro-choice in abortion, child care programs, freedom of speech and religion, and the separation of church and state."[3] Moral Majority of Hawaii sued Falwell for using the name "Moral Majority", causing speaking venues he had reserved to cancel his appearances. Falwell returned to Virginia after delivering a farewell speech in which it was noted that the two names mentioned in the speech were that of Jesus Christ and Woods.[3]
In June 1990, Woods was elected to the national board of the Gay and Lesbian Press Association. At the time, he was executive director and general manager of the Gay Community News, which had a circulation of 40,000 copies, 23,000 in Hawaii and 17,000 across the rest of the United States.[11]
1990 same-sex marriage attempt
On December 17, 1990, Woods brought three same-sex couples to the Hawaii Department of Public Health's main office in Honolulu to fill out marriage licenses.[3] The couples were Ninia Baehr and Genora Dancel, Patrick Lagon and Joseph Melillo, and Antoinette Pregil and Tammy Rodrigues.[12] If they were not successfully able to marry, he planned to take them down the street to the Hawaii headquarters of the American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU lawyers had previously belittled similar plans by Woods, but the media's attention to this attempt forced them to take it seriously. After the three couples were told that their applications would be held until the attorney general could make a ruling, the group went to the ACLU offices at Blaisdell Hotel, where they filled out applications for legal assistance.[3]
On December 29, attorney general Warren Price supported the health department's decision not to issue the licenses. Woods recruited lawyer Dan Foley, who filed the lawsuit that eventually became Baehr v. Miike.[3] After the Hawaii state circuit court ruled against the lawsuit, it was appealed to the Supreme Court of Hawaii, where Associate Justice Steven Levinson wrote the court's 1993 decision that denying same-sex marriage violated the right to equal protection granted by the state constitution, and therefore that same-sex marriage had to be allowed unless the state could provide a reason why they should not be. In 1996, a state circuit court would rule that the state's subsequent argument that opposite-sex parents were better able to raise children was not compelling, though a 1998 amendment to the state constitution which allowed state lawmakers to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman made the ruling irrelevant.[12]
Journalist Sasha Issenberg later wrote that "Not a single major gay-rights group formally embraced marriage rights for its core constituency until the Hawaii Supreme Court in May 1993 gave unexpected blessing to the cause, the unexpected outcome of the legal process that Bill Woods began". Issenberg described the events of December 17, 1990, as the beginning of "a chain of events" that led to legal same-sex marriage in the United States.[3]
Campaign for office
In 2006, Woods-Bateman ran for the Hawaii House of Representatives, but was not elected.[13]
Other activity
Woods-Bateman was the first openly gay person to testify before the Hawaii State Legislature and to address a state Democratic Party convention.[3] He additionally founded the Hawaii Gay and Lesbian Center and the Gay and Lesbian Education and Advocacy Foundation, and was district chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii and head of its LGBT caucus.[13]
Later life
In 2003, Woods married Lance W. Bateman in Vancouver.[13][1] He changed his name to William Everett Woods-Bateman in 2005.[14]
Woods-Bateman died on September 28, 2008, at the age of 58. Nancy Kern, the Hawaii Department of Health's STD/AIDS prevention coordinator at the time, remembered him as "a tireless advocate."[13]
References
- "William E. Woods". Journal Gazette. November 8, 2008. p. 27. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- "W. E. Woods Candidacy Announced". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. July 6, 1974. pp. B-4. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- Issenberg, Sasha (May 31, 2021). "The Surprising Honolulu Origins of the National Fight Over Same-Sex Marriage". POLITICO. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Wilcox, Leslie (July 19, 1974). "Prisoners' Sex Life Discussed". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. pp. D-6. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- "Letters to the Editor". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. April 23, 1974. pp. A-20. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- Donham, Buck (August 22, 1974). "76 Legislative Seats Entice 211 Hopefuls". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. pp. D-20. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- "the candidates speak". The Honolulu Advertiser. August 24, 1974. pp. A-4. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- "Woods files for House". The Honolulu Advertiser. July 8, 1974. pp. A-10. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- Wolf, Janice (September 30, 1974). "5th District Demos sure of win in 5th". The Honolulu Advertiser. pp. A-8. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- "Isle gays in D.C. march". The Honolulu Advertiser. June 24, 1979. p. 104. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- "Making news". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. June 13, 1990. p. 58. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- "Timeline of how SB1 became a law". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. November 12, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Day, Kandice (October 1, 2008). "Hawaii Gay Rights Activist Dies". The Advocate. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "In the Matter of the Petition of William Everett Woods For Change of Name". The Honolulu Advertiser. January 5, 2006. pp. B5. Retrieved May 6, 2022.