It's a facet of the gay rights movement that people don't think about enough. Why suddenly marriage equality? Because it wasn't until 1981 that the court struck down Louisiana's 'head and master rule,' that the husband was head and master of the house.

The quote, "It's a facet of the gay rights movement that people don't think about enough. Why suddenly marriage equality? Because it wasn't until 1981 that the court struck down Louisiana's 'head and master rule,' that the husband was head and master of the house," comes from Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a legendary Supreme Court Justice known for her groundbreaking work in advancing gender equality and civil rights. In this statement, Ginsburg highlights the often-overlooked historical context of marriage equality and its connection to broader struggles for equality and civil rights in the United States, especially regarding gender roles and patriarchy.

Ginsburg draws attention to the "head and master rule" in Louisiana, a law that, until 1981, gave husbands exclusive control over financial decisions and other significant matters within marriage, effectively making the husband the dominant figure in the household. By referencing this outdated and patriarchal law, she makes the point that the push for marriage equality—including the right for same-sex couples to marry—is rooted in a much longer history of challenging discriminatory laws that limit individual freedoms based on gender or sexuality.

The quote also underscores the intersectionality of movements for equality. Ginsburg suggests that marriage equality is not an isolated issue but is part of a broader struggle against societal systems that have historically placed people, particularly women and LGBTQ individuals, in positions of subordination. The head and master rule is an example of how legal systems once upheld gendered inequalities, and it wasn’t until the 1980s that such laws began to be challenged and struck down in favor of equal rights for women.

Ultimately, Ginsburg's quote serves as a reminder that the fight for marriage equality is part of a broader fight against institutionalized discrimination—whether based on gender, sexuality, or other factors—and that achieving equality in marriage is inextricably linked to the long history of movements challenging unequal power dynamics. By referencing the head and master rule, Ginsburg emphasizes that the legal recognition of same-sex marriage is an extension of efforts to ensure that all individuals, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, have the right to equal treatment under the law.