This collection is arranged into Series by Chapter and General Research. Research specific to indvidual chapters is kept with those chapters in Series 1, as per the original order.
The draft pages and research materials of David Collins for his 2017 non-fiction book, Accidental Activitists: Mark Phariss, Vic Holmes, and Their Fight for Marriage Equality in Texas, published by the University of North Texas Press.
David Collins taught English for forty years at Westminster College in Missouri. He has had unrestricted access to all materials related to the story of Mark Phariss and Vic Holmes, including legal communications and documents, and conducted extensive interviews with Mark and Vic and others involved in the case. He lives in Pineville, North Carolina.
In 2013, Mark Phariss and Vic Holmes, partners for sixteen years, joined a lawsuit in their state of Texas to challenge the 2005 constitutional amendment that prohbited same-sex marraige. Two years later, with the 2015 passage of Obergefell v. Hodges by the United States Supreme Court, gay marriage was made legal at the federal level and they were finally allowed to wed.
Rights: Reproduction and publication of materials in this collection are subject to the policies of the UNT Special Collections department. Copyright restrictions may apply.
Access Notes: This collection is stored off-site and requires a minimum of 24 hours notice prior to use.
Scope and Contents: This collection contains the research materials and draft pages of David Collins's 2017 book, Accidental Activitists: Mark Phariss, Vic Holmes, and Their Fight for Marriage Equality in Texas. David spoke with Mark and Vic starting in 2014 to gather their story and timelines, which are chronicled within the book. Dates cover from Mark and Vic's lives and their relationship from the 1960s through 2016, including the social and legal history and environment around the issue of marriage equality during that time. Collins continued his research into 2016 until the book saw its publication in August 2017. Research materials include: emails between Collins, Mark, and Vic; their interviews and phone call conversations; letters and Facebook posts; news reports and print sources; legal documents; external biographical information; and Collins's personal observations from his time with Mark and Vic, as well as during important legal arguments. Draft pages depict various iterations and edits of the chapters, including those that were absorbed into other chapters or did not make it into the final published version.
| University of North Texas Special Collections
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