In Massachusetts May 17th marks the 17th anniversary of marriage equality. It was a watershed moment in the history of civil rights when the landmark Goodridge ruling designated the constitutional right of gay & lesbian marriages in Massachusetts & at midnight on May 17, 2004 Cambridge, MA was the first city in the United States to issue marriage licenses for gay & lesbian couples. I was there & directed & produced this historic award-winning short film “OUTTAKE: Gay Marriage 2004” shot from midnight on May 17th 2004 in Cambridge & throughout the day in Boston when marriage equality became the law in Massachusetts. The film became instrumental in the passage of marriage equality nationwide in 2013 & was shot by Kirsten Martin & narrated by Arline Isaacson, Co Chair of the Massachusetts Gay & Lesbian Political Caucus. Watch Film Next we need to pass the Equality Act that prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation & gender identity in areas including public accommodations & facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit & the jury system. Specifically the bill defines & includes sex, sexual orientation & gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation. Right now there are only 21 states & 330 cities that have passed LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections which leaves half of our LGBTQ community living in the other 29 states without comprehensive statewide laws. The Equality Act allows the Department of Justice to intervene in equal protection actions in federal court on account of sexual orientation or gender identity. It is time for our Federal government, now with the support of the Biden-Harris administration to pass the Equality Act & have it signed into law.
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