The Fair Way

The True Story of a Landmark Case for Equality

De: B. Birgit Koebke, Kendall French

Narrado por: Erin Bennett

Love. Justice. A Landmark Court Battle.

The Fair Way is the gripping true story of Birgit Koebke and Kendall French—two women who refused to be sidelined by discrimination. When their country club denied Kendall the same rights given to other spouses, they didn’t walk away quietly. They fought back.

What began as a simple plea for fairness became a decade-long legal struggle that would reach the California Supreme Court and change civil rights law forever.

More than a memoir, The Fair Way is a story of love, resilience, and the power of standing up—no matter the odds.

©2025 Birgit Koebke and Kendall French (P)2025 Birgit Koebke and Kendall French

Finally, the entire story is told!

With the huge success of the marriage equality movement and the rollercoaster of losses followed by ultimate victory, some of the key moments have been absent from general histories of the struggle. This is one of them. For all intents and purposes Koebke v. Bernardo Heights Country Club is the seminal case that made national marriage equality attainable. Without Koebke, Obergefell v Hodges was a much more difficult case to win. In so many ways, Koebke's and French's determination and sound decision making are foundational to the success of the marriage equality campaign.

The book tells the story of two women who are not seeking fame or adoration. They were not on a civil rights mission. They simply wanted the same privileges extended to heterosexual members of their golf club. The Fair Way is a factual recounting of a country club mostly made of awful, isolated, entitled bigots who lived extravagantly, and are clueless to the struggles most people face in today's society. Classic haters. French and Koebke treat them rather better than they deserve. Ever the diplomats, The Fair Way tells both a factual and cautionary tale, sadly showing how thoroughly an entire golf club of members and what were perceived as friends, was turned against two women who simply wanted to golf.

Without a shred of ego, B. Koebke and Kendall French did the right thing at a moment in history that required heroic action. If ever there were heroes, these two women are the most effective and humble examples in a generation.

-James Abbott, San Diego