--- title: Charles Manson Can Get Married, But Gays Still Can't description: By not ruling on marriage equality, murderers are afforded more fairness and dignity than our LGBT brothers and sisters canonical: https://time.com/3598437/charles-manson-supreme-court-gay-marriage/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-21T14:14:51.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-30T11:02:50.219Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Supreme Court Inaction on Gay Marriage Means Charles Manson Can Get Married, But We Still Can't og:description: By not ruling on marriage equality, murderers are afforded more fairness and dignity than our LGBT brothers and sisters og:url: https://time.com/3598437/charles-manson-supreme-court-gay-marriage/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt26491a0ee7620020/698769383c16390989450045/charles-manson-star-marriage.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4648 og:image:height: 2615 og:image:alt: Charles Manson and friends og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Supreme Court Inaction on Gay Marriage Means Charles Manson Can Get Married, But We Still Can't twitter:description: By not ruling on marriage equality, murderers are afforded more fairness and dignity than our LGBT brothers and sisters twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt26491a0ee7620020/698769383c16390989450045/charles-manson-star-marriage.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Prop. 8 Plaintiffs: Charles Manson Can Get Married, But We Still Can't > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=a58960fb-7c32-4e72-b881-db177726c72f&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 430,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 50.7% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Sam Jacobs, Editor-in-Chief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Globally minded knowledge seekers. Readers who turn to journalism to understand the world, with meaningful concentrations among educators, students, media professionals, civic institutions and knowledge workers. ### TIME Inside TIME: key statements * Inside TIME is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Inside TIME is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=a58960fb-7c32-4e72-b881-db177726c72f&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/subscribe?i=a58960fb-7c32-4e72-b881-db177726c72f&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is Inside TIME? Inside TIME is a twice-weekly newsletter written by TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs. It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. It reaches 430,000 subscribers with a 50.7% open rate as of August 2026. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Jeff Zarrillo](https://time.com/author/jeff-zarrillo/) and [Paul Katami](https://time.com/author/paul-katami/) Nov 21, 2014 2:14 PM UTC  From Left: Afton Elaine Burton and Charles Manson, imprisoned for life for association with a series of murders in the 1960s in Corcoran, Calif. on Aug. 14, 2011. From Left: Afton Elaine Burton and Charles Manson, imprisoned for life for association with a series of murders in the 1960s in Corcoran, Calif. on Aug. 14, 2011. Manson Direct/Polaris by [Jeff Zarrillo](https://time.com/author/jeff-zarrillo/) and [Paul Katami](https://time.com/author/paul-katami/) Nov 21, 2014 2:14 PM UTC When the news broke that Charles Manson had obtained a marriage license while serving out his life sentence in a California prison, we were mad. Really mad. This man was sentenced to death—a sentence later commuted to life in prison—after being found guilty of conspiracy to commit mass murder. The Supreme Court has told him that his right to marry is federally protected. That same court has yet to affirm that same right for the LGBT community. The only thing we are guilty of is falling in love with a member of the same sex. So while Manson and his bride-to-be make their wedding plans, thousands upon thousands of LGBT couples in 15 states, which accounts for nearly 30% of the U.S. population, are left at the altar. Opponents of marriage equality surely can’t say that Manson is more worthy of the right to marry than the couples in these states, can they? Would Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins rather have a dinner in our loving home or in the jailhouse cafeteria with a man who has no regard for human life? Would Cardinal Timothy Dolan prefer Manson and his “Helter Skelter” cult to the God and churches that many good and decent LGBT couples pray at and want to be married in? Would National Organization for Marriage’s Brian Brown prefer the sanctity of this sham Manson marriage–to a woman he is not even permitted to have a child with–over the marriage of loving and committed gay couples who are already raising children? Our society is affording prison inmates more fairness and dignity than that of our LGBT brothers and sisters. Ted Olson and David Boies, who were our attorneys in the Prop 8 case, underscored this dichotomy to Chief Judge Vaughn Walker in court when fighting for our right to marry. Frankly, we don’t care if Manson gets married. It’s his right. Good for him. What we can’t stand by and tolerate is inaction by the Supreme Court on this issue. The piecemeal approach with which the Court has “ruled” in favor of marriage equality–by not ruling on the issue–is not nearly enough. Now that the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the right for states within its jurisdiction to discriminate against its LGBT citizens by preventing them to marry the person they love, the Supreme Court must agree to hear one or all of the cases and do the right thing. You did it for Manson and now the prison has assigned him a wedding coordinator. We plan great weddings. What about us? _Jeff Zarrillo and Paul Katami were plaintiffs in the landmark Supreme Court decision in the federal lawsuit against Proposition 8 in California._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3598437/charles-manson-supreme-court-gay-marriage/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3598437/charles-manson-supreme-court-gay-marriage/"},"headline":"Prop. 8 Plaintiffs: Charles Manson Can Get Married, But We Still Can't","datePublished":"2014-11-21T14:14:51.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-30T11:02:50.219Z","description":"By not ruling on marriage equality, murderers are afforded more fairness and dignity than our LGBT brothers and sisters","url":"https://time.com/3598437/charles-manson-supreme-court-gay-marriage/","keywords":["politics","Gay Marriage","Supreme Court","Marriage Equality","LGBT","sexuality"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt26491a0ee7620020/698769383c16390989450045/charles-manson-star-marriage.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jeff Zarrillo","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/jeff-zarrillo/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Paul Katami","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/paul-katami/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt26491a0ee7620020/698769383c16390989450045/charles-manson-star-marriage.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Charles Manson and friends","caption":"Charles Manson and friends","creditText":"Manson Direct/Polaris","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/politics/","name":"politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3598437/charles-manson-supreme-court-gay-marriage/","name":"Prop. 8 Plaintiffs: Charles Manson Can Get Married, But We Still Can't"}}]}] ```