http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-2.xsd
In February 2004 President Bush called for an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to enshrine a heterosexual definition of marriage. This ignited a wave of civil disobedience in the form of same-sex marriages across the USA. The film focuses on the small village of New Paltz, N.Y. where the 26-year-old mayor Jason West stunned his neighbors and the nation by performing 25 same-sex marriages in defiance of state law. As a result, thousands of gay couples flooded New Paltz seeking to be married. When Mayor West, who is straight, was arrested, Rev. Dawn Sangrey and Kay Greenleaf took over, marrying 277 more couples. There was a wave of same-sex marriages, demonstrations and law suits across New York State. The film probes the debate on same-sex marriage, examining the intersection of same-sex marriage with the Constitution, race, war and the family. The film also documents the first day of legal same-sex marriages in Boston in May 2004, when the Massachusetts legislature voted affirmatively despite Gov. Romney's opposition. Since then, the N.Y. State Assembly voted to legalize same-sex marriage but the Senate blocked passage of the bill. The New Paltz marriages remain unrecognized. This strong film is about grassroots organizing, straight/gay alliances and confrontation with repressive state laws.
Title from resource description page (viewed June 10, 2015).