Dustin Lance Black, the writer behind J. Edgar and Oscar winner for Milk, is bringing the story of California’s Proposition 8 to the stage.
Black’s 8 had its Broadway premiere on September 19, 2011:
And debuted in Los Angeles this past Saturday:
Thanks to the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the LA event was streamed live on the Internet for all to see.
During the LA curtain call, director Rob Reiner brought David Boies, one of the attorneys in the case, up on stage. (1:59:19) I think Boies sums it up best.
We did put fear and prejudice on trial, and fear and prejudice lost.
PFAW had this to say (and this) following last month’s Ninth Circuit ruling:
Today’s ruling is a major victory for equality and for the thousands of California couples who saw their marriage rights disappear four years ago.
Proposition 8 hurt Californians. It took away the freedom of committed couples to legally marry, to raise children in security, to visit each other in the hospital and to provide for each other in old age. It hurt gay and lesbian Californians, and it hurt their friends and families. Proposition 8 wasn’t just unconstitutional – it was simply wrong.
I congratulate all the Californians who have regained their freedom to marry, and hope that that freedom will soon be extended to every American.
Indeed, we must keep working to ensure that marriage discrimination does not persist at the federal level. Please take a moment to add your name to PFAW's petition urging Congress to Dump DOMA and end this unconstitutional, discriminatory policy once and for all.