After the Supreme Court blocked video
broadcast of the federal trial to decide the constitutionality of a
gay marriage ban last Wednesday, freelance journalist
and filmmaker John Ireland decided he'd produce his own version
and post it on YouTube.
“People want to see this drama unfold
and there is a tremendous narrative that was propelled by that first
day of testimony,” Ireland told On Top Magazine on Sunday.
“This is the first time that gay and lesbian people have talked
about their lives in federal court. It's historic from that point of
view.”
Ireland said he's basing his
storytelling on the accounts of bloggers present at the trial that
started last Monday in a San Francisco courtroom.
“I don't think you have to be gay or
lesbian to see that there is a tremendous human story being told but
so few people are actually hearing it,” Ireland said.
After casting the trial's main
characters, filming began over the weekend. Opening day of the trial
is “in the can” and likely to debut on YouTube on Tuesday, with
daily updates starting on Wednesday, the Los Angeles-based filmmaker
said.
“We've been in a fast and furious
process of auditioning yesterday, confirming and booking last night,
late into the night, and this morning at 9:30 we were all bright-eyed
and bushy-tailed and started filming,” he said.
Ireland has a personal stake in the
trial. In 2004 he married Duncan Crabtree in San Francisco City Hall
after Mayor Gavin Newsom instructed the County Clerk's office to
issue marriage licenses to gay couples. Newsom's decision began a
domino effect that eventually led to voters approving Proposition 8
four years later.