The issue of same-sex marriage has made a significant impact on popular culture. In this commentary, I argue that the current discussion about whether same-sex marriage is a civil right can be clarified for advocates and naysayers alike by analogizing the institutions of marriage and libraries. Just like libraries, the institution of marriage opens new worlds of upward mobility and access. And as such, just as American society acknowledged the injustice of closing libraries to nonwhites, we need to rethink the exclusion of same-sex couples from the institution of marriage. Moreover, analogizing the two institutions clarifies the role of both marriage and libraries in strengthening citizenship and promoting social inclusion.