How activists rewrote the political playbook, reversed decades of defeat, and finally won over voters.

On November 6, four states — Maine, Washington, Maryland, and Minnesota — took the side of gay marriage in ballot referenda. The improbable sweep for an issue that spent decades as an across-the-board political loser has already changed the landscape for gay rights in America — and could provide a new framework for other causes: The leaders of other social movements, such as the campaign for gun control, are already studying the methods behind the gay-marriage campaigners’ victory.

This is the exclusive story of that victory, based on reporting that began more than a month before Election Day; dozens of interviews; and access to scores of internal communications.

via The Atlantic.