Nantucket Official Guide | Page 28

The Grey Lady:
Centuries of
Celebrating Diversity

©Katie Kaizer

By William DeSousa-Mauk

As marriage equality rolls across America,
increasing numbers of same-sex couples
– and their families – are finding themselves
more in the “mainstream” in formerly
contentious locations. Gay and lesbian
couples and families will receive a warm
welcome on Nantucket which, through the
centuries, has always been tolerant of other
cultures and mores.
The island’s “people of color” – from the
native Wampanoag, to African Americans,
Azoreans and Portuguese – were fully equal
to everyone else on the island and many had
special talents which were prized and in high
demand. Nantucket’s Quakers