Friday May 25, 2007 SGN.org |
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Volume 35 Issue 21 |
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Friday, Jul 04, 2008
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Documentary details Massachusetts fight over marriage equality |
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| Documentary details Massachusetts fight over marriage equality | ||
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by Robert Raketty -
SGN Staff Writer Equal Rights Washington's Advocacy Director, Josh Friedes, is the subject of Saving Marriage, a documentary about the pitched struggle to stop a Massachusetts ballot measure that would have prevented same-sex marriages. The film will be screened at Portland, Oregon's Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St., Portland) on Sunday, June 3 at 7 p.m. as part of the QDoc Film Festival running Jun 1-June 3. Friedes was a leader in the Freedom to Marry movement in Massachusetts for 10 years and is a central character in the documentary. Following the screening, there will be a Closing Reception at Portland's Q Center (69 SE Taylor St., Portland). A Saving Marriage ticket stub grants admission to the reception. The Seattle Gay News spoke with Friedes this week about the film and its relevance to the modern day struggle for LGBT equality. For more information about the film festival, visit www.queerdocfest.org. SGN: Why should people come see the movie Saving Marriage? Josh Friedes: It tells the story of a pitched struggle to stop a ballot measure that would have prevented same-sex marriages in Massachusetts. I think people will be surprised to see how intense the conflict was. The footage of the first marriages in Massachusetts and the historic debates on the floor of the Massachusetts House and Senate will bring you to tears. The debate in the legislature was some of the finest political oratory in a century. The film also captures the scope of work that was done by marriage advocates and how it consumed their lives for years. But most of Saving Marriage is the story of how people use their personal stories to win the hearts and minds of legislators and voters. SGN: Can you give an example? JF: Sure. Senator Wilkerson, the only African American senator in Massachusetts, uses her family's experience to explain why she must vote against the amendment. 'Because I know first hand that world of almost being equal. I could not in good conscience ever vote to send anyone to the place from which my family fled. My grandmother who is almost 100 years old would never forgive me.' After Senator Wilkerson and other African American legislators shared their own family stories it was impossible for legislators to see the marriage equality issue as anything but a civil rights issue. SGN: So many of the personal stories are from the experiences of straight people. JF: That is correct but many of these stories are the stories of how relationships with Gay people affected their lives. This is the power of relationships. For example, David Linsky, a Jewish legislator, tells about how his young son has a friend with Lesbian parents and says, 'How can I tell that boy who is been in my house so many times that his family is not as good as mine.' We need to learn from these stories that our interactions really change opinions and that we must act with great intentionality to create relationships with persons whose votes we need. SGN: Was it strange being filmed in the middle of this historic campaign? JF: I think it helped us understand the historic moment in time we were in. After a while, I got to know the producers and their interviews were like therapy. Now it's wonderful to watch the footage. I think people will really be shocked in 50 years that Gay marriage was such a big controversy and this movie will become a very valuable part of recorded Gay history. |
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copyright Seattle Gay News - DigitalTeamWorks 2007