The Advocate Presents: Gay Marriage in California

In May 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples had the right to marry, and in mid-June the first weddings began, including that of longtime activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon at San Francisco City Hall after more than fifty years together. The Advocate was on hand for the days that followed, and this special brings together its coverage of the highs and lows of that period. Directed by Michael Eldridge, it captures the joy of couples finally exchanging vows alongside the knowledge that a November ballot measure, Proposition 8, could reverse the ruling. Mixing celebration with uncertainty, the program records the faces, ceremonies and conversations of a remarkable few days in California history. Seen today, it is a vivid time capsule of a moment when marriage for gay and lesbian couples in the state was new, joyful and far from settled.