FLORIDA FILM FESTIVAL PREMIERE OF “THE GAY MARRIAGE THING”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Key West, FL – As supporters of the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment attempt to gather 18,000 signatures to put the amendment on the state’s 2008 ballot, Florida sees the film festival premiere of a powerful documentary on the subject. THE GAY MARRIAGE THING, which presents the politics, the piety, and the people embroiled in and affected by the heated debate over same-sex marriage, will screen at the Women on Film Festival at The Tropic Cinema in Key West on Wednesday, September 5, 2007.

“I have watched this film start intense discussions all over the country,” said award-winning director Stephanie Higgins, “Florida will be no different.”

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.

“Lorre and Gayle’s marriage is legal and binding in Massachusetts for the present, but we all worry about families in states like Florida who are unprotected. That’s why I made THE GAY MARRIAGE THING.” Higgins says. “The film has a special power that creates a space for opposite sides to meet on friendly ground. Because, to quote the couple in the film, ‘we’re stronger than this.’ We all are.”

DATE: Wednesday, September 5, 2007
TIME: 6:45 PM
VENUE: The Tropic Cinema, 416 Eaton Street, Key West, FL 33040 PHONE: 305-295-9493 WEB: www.keywestfilm.org/main.html
ADMISSION: $10.00
WOMEN ON FILM FESTIVAL: www.womenonfilmfestival.com

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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