Proposition 8: It’s Not Over Yet!

Earlier this month, the Proposition 8 appeal in California was almost bumped from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to the California Supreme Court after the federal courts questioned the legal standing of the defendants of the proposition. These defendants include the former Governor (Schwarzenegger), Attorney General (Jerry Brown), county clerks, and state health department officials, who forthrightly do not support the proposition. What does this mean?

The appeal is getting closer to federal courts, increasing the threat against Prop 8.

Political expectations aside, to commemorate the victories and losses in this civil rights battle over the past three years, I decided to watch the critically-acclaimed documentary 8: The Mormon Proposition. The film looks at the underbelly of this unprecedentedly-funded Proposition 8 to reveal its primary supporter and funder — the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (The Mormon Church, for all you faithfully agnostic and atheist folks). In addition to delving into the church’s involvement in the political fundraising, the film also explores the lobbying and religious support the church required from its congregation, and the results of church’s staunchly anti-gay agenda.

8: The Mormon Proposition is a must-see documentary. It will reawaken a rallying cry for the nation-wide marches against the proposition instigated in 2008. Not only will it remind you that the fight for civil rights is far from over, and should not be forgotten, it will also admonish you about the everyday struggles LGBTQ individuals face in the Mormon Church.

Overall, while the film is angering at times, it is also astonishingly thought-provoking and will have you walking away from it feeling like Rosie the Riveter.