Tag: gay marriage

Another step in the inevitable move to national marriage equality

October 19, 2012 at 10:51 amCategory:Uncategorized

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That’s about the only way to describe yesterday’s decision (authored by a conservative judge named Dennis Jacobs) from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit striking down the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act.”

As Ian Millhiser of the Center for American Progress wrote:

This is a really big deal. Jacobs is not simply saying that DOMA imposes unique and unconstitutional burdens on gay couples, he is saying that any attempt by government to discriminate against gay people must have an “exceedingly persuasive” justification. Read More…

Just a Word: What one word means to a couple. [VIDEO]

May 7, 2012 at 11:52 amCategory:Yield: Love conquers everything; let us too, yield to love

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This is the final piece in a series of videos by Mimi Schiffman on North Carolina’s Amendment One:

“You know, everybody says it’s just a word, but there’s more to it. There’s a feeling of belonging,” said Jeff Enochs of Charlotte, N.C. “I wanted my state to recognize that we are going to spend the rest of our lives together.”

Watch Jeff and his partner Brian Helms travel to Washington, D.C., the closest place they can legally marry.

The wedding is set to take place just weeks in advance of North Carolina’s primary, in which voters will decide whether to amend the constitution to read: “Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.”

Production: Mimi Schiffman
Music: Phil Cook & His Feat
Additional Camera: Ben Berry

Mimi Schiffman is a photographer, videographer and multimedia producer pursuing a master’s degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This work is a part of a documentary project she is producing on marriage equality for her thesis. The work is being released in the lead-up to the 2012 North Carolina primaries on May 8, 2012, where voters are asked to decide on a constitutional amendment which could render many established same-gender couples and their families legal strangers in the eyes of the law.

Mimi’s work is being posted on Huffington Post.

Gay, Lesbian, or Whatever. Middle school students fight Amendment One. [VIDEO]

May 3, 2012 at 9:39 amCategory:Yield: Love conquers everything; let us too, yield to love

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This is the third piece in a series of videos by Mimi Schiffman on North Carolina’s Amendment One:

In a small school a little north and a little west of downtown Durham, N.C., a group of eleven-, twelve- and thirteen-year-olds has been busy organizing a field-trip.

Watch as a middle school’s gay-straight alliance, GLOW, for Gay Lesbian or Whatever, embarks on an adventure in civic engagement with real consequences for many of the club’s members.

“They don’t really see kids as having an idea of how they want their future to be like,” said Sarah, a GLOW member, “but when we actually voice our opinion it really does make a difference.”

Production: Mimi Schiffman
Music: Phil Cook & His Feat
Additional Camera: Patrick Mustain and Vanessa Patchett

Special thanks to:
Lisa Joyner
Carolina Friends School
Phil Cook

Mimi Schiffman is a photographer, videographer and multimedia producer pursuing a master’s degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This work is a part of a documentary project she is producing on marriage equality for her thesis. The work is being released in the lead-up to the 2012 North Carolina primaries where voters are asked to decide on a constitutional amendment which could render many established same-gender couples and their families legal strangers in the eyes of the law.

Mimi’s work is being posted on Huffington Post.

Going Forward: Lesbian moms tell how Amendment One affects their family [VIDEO]

April 25, 2012 at 10:16 amCategory:Yield: Love conquers everything; let us too, yield to love

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This is the second in a series of videos by Mimi Schiffman:

Meet North Carolina family: Kim, Kathy, Ben, Jamie and Justin, and listen as they put into words what’s at stake behind North Carolina’s proposed Amendment One.

“I mean, you can term it whatever you want,” said Kathy Sullivan. “But you really cannot look at these relationships and determine they are anything but family.”

The proposed constitutional amendment, which reads: “Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state,” could potentially invalidate adoptions by same-gender parents across the state.

Production: Mimi Schiffman
Music: “Viandanze,” Fabrizio Paterlini

Mimi Schiffman is a photographer, videographer and multimedia producer pursuing a master’s degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This work is a part of a documentary project she is producing on marriage equality for her thesis. The work is being released in the lead-up to the 2012 North Carolina primaries where voters will be asked to decide on a constitutional amendment which could render many established same-gender couples and their families legal strangers in the eyes of the law.

Mimi’s work is being posted on Huffington Post.

“Going Forward” was filmed in Fuquay-Varina, NC.

Love = Love: 12-year-old boy fights Amendment One, for his moms [VIDEO]

April 24, 2012 at 11:41 amCategory:Yield: Love conquers everything; let us too, yield to love

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Contributed by Mimi Schiffman:

Twelve-year-old Isak Atkins-Pearcy loves Legos, doughnuts and fighting for what he believes in.

“I think in a world where everything is right, you could love anyone you wanted to.”

He’s been fighting alongside his parents and with his junior high GSA to defeat North Carolina’s proposed constitutional amendment which will be decided in the May 8th primary.

Amendment One would place in the constitution the following language: “Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.”

Meet Isak, and hear a fresh perspective on relationships from a young man, full of conviction and love for his family.

Production: Mimi Schiffman
Music: “April,” Marcel Pequel
Artistic Direction: Isak Atkins-Pearcy

Mimi Schiffman is a photographer, videographer and multimedia producer pursuing a master’s degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This work is a part of a documentary project she is producing on marriage equality for her thesis. The work is being released in the lead-up to the 2012 North Carolina primaries where voters will be asked to decide on a constitutional amendment which could render many established same-gender couples and their families legal strangers in the eyes of the law.

Mimi’s work is being posted on Huffington Post.

“Love = Love” was filmed in Durham, NC.