Marriage equality is arguably the civil rights issue of our day. Since the Stonewall Riots of 1969, which opened the closet door on a history of oppression and rejection for the American LGBT community, great progress has been made, but not enough. California’s Prop 8 story epitomizes the battle for equality, and the lengths to which our opponents are willing to go to maintain the traditional, uneven field. Now comes the long-awaited announcement that the supporters of this discriminatory proposition, passed by the voters of California in 2008, are petitioning the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to review the case, once and for all. The American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), the sponsor of the federal lawsuit for marriage equality, has thirty days to respond, and, according to co-lead counsel David Boies, plans to do just that. Boies said the petition will give “the Justices the chance to affirm our Constitution’s central promises of liberty, equality, and human dignity.”

It’s not a foregone conclusion that SCOTUS will hear the case, at least not immediately. The Justices are on summer hiatus now, and won’t consider the petition until their October conference. It’s possible that the Court will choose to deal first with the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which has already been held unconstitutional in several federal district court cases in 2012. If that trend can be seen as a prognosticator of decisions to come, we can feel hopeful that both DOMA and Prop 8 will find an ultimate home in the dustbin of history.

As the administrator of the Equality Mantra on Facebook, it is my responsibility to keep our members (now numbering nearly 22,000) up to date with the relevant news and trends affecting the LGBT community. As the artistic director of the Homecoming Players, I am committed to bringing relevant theater to my local community. My twin hats have never been more cut from the same cloth than they are this August. Why? Because our theater is producing a staged reading of Dustin Lance Black’s new documentary play, 8, just as Prop 8 heads to SCOTUS for what could be its death sentence.

I am hopeful that my giddiness over this coincidence will be well founded. In other words, I am confident that, as Rick Jacobs of the Courage Campaign (an organization that started in California, out of opposition to Prop 8 and advocacy for equality and marriage) says, “[t]he President of the United States, a majority of the American public, two federal courts and most of America’s NATO allies view marriage equality as a fact. But Brian Brown, Charles Cooper, Andy Pugno, and Mitt Romney continue to stampede over the cliff of historical irrelevance, insisting that America will cease to function if gays and lesbians can marry. The major problem with this thesis is that seven states and the District of Columbia welcome marriage for all and the country functions just fine, the sun still shines and the world still rotates on its axis. We can only hope that the Supreme Court will once again act for all Americans on the right side of history, not for a few hysterical ones scared of love.”

The effectiveness of 8 the play lies in its ability to bring to life the very real ways that homophobia and bigotry can corrode even the staunchest of souls. Opponents of marriage equality are determined to fight, tooth and nail, to keep others (LGBT people) from having the freedom to marry and raise a family, with all the benefits and assumptions that such freedom affords.

8 the play draws heavily on the transcripts of the 2010 federal trial, in which there was plenty of fascinating and far-fetched testimony from the defense (the supporters of Prop 8)—good drama in and of itself. The legal characters are familiar to us now—the aforementioned David Boies and Ted Olson, for the plaintiffs, Charles Cooper for the defense, and the now famous Judge Vaughn Walker.

But the play’s real strength lies in its ability to humanize the four plaintiffs in the trial—Sandy and Kris and their teenage twin boys (with soccer games and homework more on their minds than this historic action with their moms at the center), and Jeff and Paul (whose nieces and nephews have dubbed him their “cool uncle”). In truth, these two couples represent every couple, every family, everyone who works hard, plays by the rules, and seeks to build a life anchored by love and shared commitment.

They represent thousands of couples throughout the country, who share their fight just to be treated equally. The honored guests at the Homecoming Players’ performance of 8 will be Captain Steve Snyder-Hill and his husband, Josh Snyder-Hill, who were forced to travel from their home state of Ohio (which does not yet have marriage equality) to marry in the District of Columbia (which does). Steve is the army officer who was catapulted to fame by dint of being booed by the audience at the GOP presidential debate last fall when he called in a question about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which had recently been repealed. Steve and Josh have converted that nasty little bit of overt bigotry into positive advocacy for marriage equality, and are working tirelessly as spokespeople for Freedom to Marry (watch the poignant video they made, here) as well as their own initiative, Marriage Evolved, among others. Like the plaintiffs in the Prop 8 case, Steve and Josh seek nothing more, and nothing less, than to have their marriage recognized as equal in the eyes of the law.

The sponsors of the series of readings in which the Homecoming Players have won a coveted slot are AFER itself and Broadway Impact. These paired organizations want to advance the conversation about marriage equality, with the ultimate goal of legalizing it everywhere. If the more than two hundred performances nationwide of 8 do no more than to awaken a passion for justice and equality where perhaps none lay before, their mission will be accomplished. And whether SCOTUS strikes down Prop 8 now, soon, or later, equality is on the march, and cannot be turned back forever.

~~~~~

To donate to the Homecoming Players’ production of 8 and AFER, please click on this link. For more information about the show, please click here.

_

Learn more about Rachel’s new novel here —-> Driving in the Rain

Join Rachel on Facebook here —-> The Equality Mantra