Perhaps what is most surprising about the life of Kristin Perry and Sandy Stier is how normal it was, up until recently. The lesbian couple has been raising four children in a quiet Berkeley, Calif., neighborhood, one known these days more for its cozy bungalows and good coffee than for ’60s-era radicalism. Later this month, they will mark their 10-year anniversary, a decade spent mostly focused on the ups and downs of domestic life, like helping with homework or surviving morning-rush-hour commutes.

But the name Perry may someday be as widely known as Miranda or Dred Scott, whose landmark cases were decided by the Supreme Court. Perry, 45, is now the lead named plaintiff in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, starting Monday in a San Francisco federal court.

Perry and her partner, Sandy Stier, 47, are accidental activists. The pair got married in 2004 in San Fransciso when Mayor Gavin Newsom told city officials to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. Six months later, they were among some 4,000 newlywed couples who had their marriages invalidated by the California Supreme Court.

Read the rest of Eve Conant’s Newsweek article here.