Before Del Martin and Phillis Lyon
became the first gay couple to marry in California and Ellen
DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi's picture perfect gay wedding landed on
the cover of People magazine, there was gay marriage in
Massachusetts. Saving Marriage documents the first big win
for gay marriage advocates in the United States – and the fight
that followed to keep it legal in the State.
In directors Mike Roth and John
Henning's Saving Marriage, battle lines are drawn and sides
are taken as the fight to keep marriage legal for gays and lesbians
in Massachusetts plays out to a dramatic, nail-biting finish.
In May of 2009, Massachusetts will
celebrate five years of marriage equality for all. But back in 2004,
when the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage
advocates, the prospects of keeping gay marriage legal appeared dim.
That year, by a razor-thin margin, Massachusetts legislators,
encouraged by then-Governor Mitt Romney, approved a constitutional
amendment banning gay marriage.
However, a second vote eighteen months
later was necessary to secure the anti-gay marriage amendment.
During that time, a fall election re-shuffled the political deck and
gay marriages began in the State.
Saving Marriage gives a heart
wrenching account of how newly married gay couples, gay activist and
allies convinced legislators to vote against banning gay marriage.
The film's fall release is poignantly
apropos – as California voters are being asked to pull the plug on
gay marriage there.
“Saving Marriage reduced [the
audience] to tears,” wrote IndieWire.com.
Saving Marriage opens October
10th in San Francisco. Visit the official website for
further openings at www.savingmarriagethemovie.com.