The State of Marriage

The State of Marriage is a 2015 documentary film about the origins of the marriage equality movement, focusing on the decades of grassroots advocacy by lawyers Mary Bonauto, Susan Murray, and Beth Robinson and the 1999 Vermont Supreme Court case Baker v. Vermont.[1][2] The film had its world premiere at the 2015 Provincetown International Film Festival on 18 June 2015.[3] It is written and directed by Jeff Kaufman, and produced by Kaufman and Marcia Ross.[4] Funding for the film's post-production and editing work was partially raised through a successful Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign.[5]

The State of Marriage
Directed byJeff Kaufman
Written byJeff Kaufman
Produced byJeff Kaufman
Marcia Ross
StarringMary Bonauto
Susan Murray
Beth Robinson
CinematographyDaniel Kaufman
Edited byAsher Bingham
Music byLaura Karpman
Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum
Production
company
Floating World Pictures
Release date
  • June 18, 2015 (2015-06-18) (PIFF)
Running time
82 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Background

The film depicts the decades-long battle for marriage equality, beginning in Vermont in the 1990s. In 1997, Bonauto, a lawyer at Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), joined forces with two local attorneys, Murray and Robinson, to file a lawsuit against the State of Vermont on behalf of three same-sex couples, Stan Baker and Peter Harrigan, Lois Farnham and Holly Puterbaugh, and Nina Beck and Stacy Jolles.[6][7] The suit, Baker v. Vermont, ignited state- and nationwide controversy, but eventually resulted in a 1999 State Supreme Court victory and the passage of Civil Unions in 2000, which gave gay and lesbian couples the rights of marriage but not the name.[8] Still, the bill was a national first, and paved the way for gay marriage initiatives in other states, as well as the passage of full same-sex marriage rights in Vermont in 2009.[9]

Kaufman was a radio host in Vermont during the initial legal battle, and witnessing the events unfold inspired the creation of the documentary. The film was shot in Vermont between July 2013 and February 2014.[2]

Cast

Reception

The Hollywood Reporter gave The State of Marriage a favorable review, calling it an "indispensable addition to the filmed history of the marriage equality movement".[10]

References
  1. "New Documentary Depicts Vermont Lawyers' Fight For Same-Sex Marriage". VPR. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  2. Kane, Matt (24 April 2014). "The State of Marriage in Vermont". GLAAD. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  3. "Gay marriage doc to debut". Times Argus. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  4. "Jeff Kaufman and Marcia Ross of "State of Marriage"". WOMR. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  5. "THE STATE OF MARRIAGE". IndieGoGo. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  6. Garrow, David (9 May 2004). "Toward a More Perfect Union". The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  7. "EXCLUSIVE CLIP: The State of Marriage". OUT. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  8. Goldberg, Carey (19 April 2000). "Vermont Moves Step Closer To Same-Sex Civil Unions". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  9. "Middlebury lawyer Murray is Vt. lawyer of year". WPTZ. 30 September 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  10. Rooney, David (24 June 2015). "'The State of Marriage': Provincetown Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
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