"The Gay Marriage Thing" Film Headlines Wedding Expo in Boston

[Stephanie Higgins]

"The Gay Marriage Thing" film will lead a cast of marriage-related products, information and vendors at a Free Wedding Expo held at Club Café on Thursday, January 31, 2008 from 6:00-9:00pm with the film beginning at 7:30pm. Director Stephanie Higgins and Executive Producer Lorre Fritchy will host a discussion following the film, which presents the politics, the piety and the people embroiled in and affected by the heated debate over same-sex marriage.

Director Stephanie Higgins, herself a wedding expo patron having recently proposed to her girlfriend of three years, is confident her film is right at home alongside the bakers, DJs, bankers, florists and other wedding vendors at the Expo. “The occurrences in this film led directly to the marriage rights attendees of the Expo have in Massachusetts. Reliving these events is important not only to remember how far we’ve come, but to remind ourselves that these rights are not quite equal across state lines,” Higgins says.

Gayle and Lorre, 30-something college sweethearts who marked their 15th anniversary a year after the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled a ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, are at the heart of this documentary scrapbook. From the protests outside the Massachusetts State House, to the churches of the Rev. Rich Wiesenbach and Carlton Smith, to the historic chambers echoing with State Rep. Kathi-Anne Reinstein’s perspective, a wide range of voices swirl around Gayle and Lorre as they approach May 17, 2004, the first date same-sex couples could file for marriage licenses in Massachusetts.

"What I loved about this film,” offers Kristen Porter of Dyke Night Productions, co-sponsor of the event, “was its ability to create a dualistic landscape whereby the film-goers’ understanding of all sides deepens.” Higgins confirms audiences gay, straight, married and relate to this film making it a perfect match for a wedding expo. “Whether there are nuptials in your future or film is your first love, there is something for everyone at this event.”

DATE: Thursday, January 31, 2008
TIME: 6:00PM – 9:00PM (film begins at 7:30PM)
VENUE: Club Café, 209 Columbus Ave., Boston MA 02116 Phone: [phone]
Web: www.clubcafe.com
ADMISSION: FREE
SPONSORS: Dyke Night Productions: www.dykenight.com The Greater Boston Business Council: www.gbbc.org

For interviews or to review the film, contact the director, Stephanie Higgins, SassyMedia, PO Box 132, Belmont MA 02478, 617-821-5590, [e-mail], or visit www.thegaymarriagething.com.
For distribution information, contact The Cinema Guild, 130 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016-7038, 1-800-723-5522 or 212-685-6242, [e-mail], www.cinemaguild.com.