TGMT Helps Celebrate 10 Years of Marriage Equality

I'm so excited to announce that The Gay Marriage Thing will be broadcast in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Sweden as part of OutTV's equal marriage theme night on April 1st, 2011. This is to commemorate 10 years of marriage equality in the Netherlands where legal same-sex weddings began on April 1st 2001.


While we are proud and thrilled to be part of this celebration, we have a lot of work to do here at home. Can you believe it's been 10 years in the Netherlands and not even one year of federal legal marriage for same-sex couples in the US? That's why this dialog is so important to continue. Spread the word, talk to everyone you can about this issue. Your voice does matter and it does make a difference.

We Need Your Reviews

Have you seen The Gay MarriageThing? Do you have an opinion on the film and equal marriage? Share your thoughts and opinions on Amazon or link up with the film on Facebook and join the conversation.

Review by Amos Lassen

Amazon top 50 reviewer Amos Lassen is the  first to review the 5th anniversary disc. Read the review.

TGMT Reboot is Available

5th Anniversary DVD I'm so excited to say that, for the first time, The Gay Marriage Thing is widely and easily available on DVD. The disc features two extras with never-before seen footage. With equal marriage once again filling blogs, newspapers and airways, the documentary is as relevant as ever.

Sneak Peek at New DVD Cover Art

The 5th anniversary DVD should be out in a few weeks. Here's a preview of the new disc's cover art.

5th Anniversary DVD in Works

The wheels are turning for a new DVD for our 5th anniversary year. I'll keep you posted.

WE NEED YOUR COMMENTS AND REVIEWS

If you've seen the film or just want to make a comment please take a minute to post your review or comment on the film's Amazon page and become a fan on Facebook.

TGMT is still the only film on the subject that speaks to people on all sides of the marriage debate. It is a quiet film that needs our voices to help it get heard.

Watch THE GAY MARRIAGE THING Online

I'm happy to announce Amazon now has The Gay Marriage Thing available for streaming rental ($2.99) or download purchase ($9.99).

MILL CITY TAKES ON “THE GAY MARRIAGE THING” MOVIE

DATE: March 16, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MILL CITY TAKES ON “THE GAY MARRIAGE THING” MOVIE

LOWELL, MA – The Gay Marriage Thing film will screen for the first time in the Mill City on Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at 7:00pm at Christ Church United who is co-hosting the community film event with the Lowell Film Collaborative. Director Stephanie Higgins and Executive Producer Lorre Fritchy will be in attendance to lead a Q&A following the film, which presents the politics, the piety and the people embroiled in and affected by the heated debate over same-sex marriage.

Even as the 5th anniversary of legal gay marriage in Massachusetts approaches, the topic continues to inspire heated debate on a national level. For a film in its third year of distribution, The Gay Marriage Thing remains as timely as ever. “As a long time fan of documentary film, I watch them more and more to gain fresh insight and support for long held beliefs but not to examine those beliefs,” says film reviewer Mathius Mack Gertz of Film Arcade. “The Gay Marriage Thing has given me cause to reexamine certain perspectives. That is saying much for a short documentary in this day and age or in any day and age for that matter.”

Committed to making this community film event accessible to everyone, the organizers are providing child daycare and keeping the price to a suggested $5 donation. “Community and family are at the center of The Gay Marriage Thing,” said Director Stephanie Higgins. “People of all opinions and walks of life grace the cast of the film. Everyone talks without interruption so you see deeply into what’s being said.” As for the community off the screen, Higgins says, “When the film is over, that deep discussion is continued for the audience, whether they are at home in their living room or at a live Q&A, the film is ported to reality after every credit roll.”

Gayle and Lorre, 30-something college sweethearts who marked their 15th anniversary a year after
the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled a ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, are at the heart
of this documentary scrapbook. From the protests outside the Massachusetts State House, to the
churches of the Rev. Rich Wiesenbach and Carlton Smith, to the historic chambers echoing with
State Rep. Kathi-Anne Reinstein’s perspective, a wide range of voices swirl around Gayle and Lorre
as they approach the first date same-sex couples could file for marriage licenses in Massachusetts.

DATE: Wednesday, April 15 2009
TIME: 7:00PM
VENUE: Christ Church United, Lowell, is located at 180 E. Merrimack Street. On street parking is available in addition to free parking at Saints Medical Center.
Web: www.wewelcomeall.org or www.lowellfilmcollaborative.org
ADMISSION: $5 Suggested donation
RSVP’s appreciated by April 10 to Suzzanne Cromwell at lowellfilmcollaborative@live.com.
SPONSORS: Christ Church United, UCC

For interviews or to review the film, contact the director, Stephanie Higgins, SassyMedia, PO Box 132, Belmont MA 02478, 617-821-5590, info@thegaymarriagething.com, or visit www.thegaymarriagething.com.
For distribution information, contact The Cinema Guild, 130 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016-7038, 1-800-723-5522 or 212-685-6242, info@cinemaguild.com, www.cinemaguild.com.
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THE GAY MARRIAGE THING Headlines Panel Discussion

SALEM, MA – The Gay Marriage Thing film will lead a chorus of voices, including State Rep. Byron Rushing, discussing gay marriage at the Peabody Essex Museum on Thursday, June 26, 2008 with the film beginning at 6:30pm followed by a panel discussion at 8:00pm. Director Stephanie Higgins hosts a Q&A following the film, which presents the politics, the piety and the people embroiled in and affected by the heated debate over same-sex marriage.

Discussion will focus on how traditional notions of marriage have changed with the legalization of same-sex unions. “This was a question asked very specifically in the film,” says Director Stephanie Higgins. “By using film-like storytelling and choosing to focus on the people and not the arguments in the debate, The Gay Marriage Thing helps audiences begin to answer that question for themselves.”

Gayle and Lorre, 30-something college sweethearts who marked their 15th anniversary a year after the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled a ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, are at the heart of this documentary scrapbook. From the protests outside the Massachusetts State House, to the churches of the Rev. Rich Wiesenbach and Carlton Smith, to the historic chambers echoing with State Rep. Kathi-Anne Reinstein’s perspective, a wide range of voices swirl around Gayle and Lorre as they approach May 17, 2004, the first date same-sex couples could file for marriage licenses in Massachusetts.

Director Stephanie Higgins is proud to have the film headline such an important discussion. “This is why we made the film,” she says. “It facilitates discussions between family members, co-workers and community members of all opinions.” Adult Programs Manager Jennifer Evans confirms this as one reason the film was chosen, “We chose The Gay Marriage Thing because it moves the discussion of same-sex marriage beyond events and arguments, making it not just about gay marriage in Massachusetts, but about gay marriage in America.”

DATE: Thursday, June 26, 2008
TIME: 6:30pm Film | 8:00pm Panel Discussion
VENUE: Peabody Essex Museum, Morse Auditorium | East India Square | Salem, MA 01970 | 978-745-9500 | pem.org/events
ADMISSION: Members $10 | Nonmembers $15

For interviews or to review the film, contact the director, Stephanie Higgins, SassyMedia, PO Box 132, Belmont MA 02478, 617-821-5590, info@thegaymarriagething.com, or visit www.thegaymarriagething.com.
For distribution information, contact The Cinema Guild, 130 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016-7038, 1-800-723-5522 or 212-685-6242, info@cinemaguild.com, www.cinemaguild.com.