Search - Ballot Measure 9 on DVD

Really well done, painful, funny, important

R. Blazak | Portland, OR | 02/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm so happy to find this video here. I have a copy that is worn out from playing for my students every year. It shows the human side of the impact of the anti-gay hate movement. The level of ignorance from the hate mongers about homosexuality would be comical if not for the fact that some fearful homophobes turn to violence, as this important film illustrates."

Spectacular

lucid | Boston, MA | 01/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first time I saw this video, I was alone, at home, and broke down into tears at the surreal level of hate aimed at lesbians and gay men. The second time I saw it was at the New York LGBT Film Festival; I could hear that scores of other adults were weeping with me in the dark. We've come a long way since 1992, thank God, farther than most of us would have expected at the time. But it's still good to know how recently lesbians and gay men were utter pariahs, and how much irrational hatred still could erupt if encouraged by public leaders--either towards lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgendered folks or toward other unpopular groups, if the majority does not come to their aid."

A Word to the Wise

David Champion | Killeen, Texas | 07/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In an election year where everything is close, something like this could show up as a Constitutinal Amendment: No Special Rights amendment. You could get people ,at the federal level, who say it will never make it through the states.
This movie illustrates how a mob menatality on anything, in this case Gay Rights, could actually be made into law. Fortunately, they lost this round. It illustrates the mindless mentality of the bully in the tactics employed against those who fought this amendment. Now ,at least, we have the Australion Ballot System.
What is really scary is that it would be so easy to have something like this go through the process to become an amendment to the constitution at the national level. It would take around less than 1/5th of the countries population pressuring their state legislatures to approve one. Remember that the small states that would have an equal vote is usually the states that go to the Conservative mentality on issues like this.
Then there would be no support from the courts because it would be the de facto law of the land in the constitution. 2/3rds of the state legislatures is a scary thing to envisage. It is not that hard to get. Look at the current spate of Protecting Marriage laws on the books concerning Gay Marriage."

America as She Is

Amos Lassen | Little Rock, Arkansas | 12/30/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Ballot Measure 9"

America as She Is

Amos Lassen

"Ballot Measure 9" tells the story in a documentary of the 1992 struggle to defeat the anti-gay ballot iniative in Oregon and a chilling and sobering tale it is as it shows the context of the movement at large. You would not expect a film on a subject like this to be uninteresting but it is quite though provoking and provocative at the same time. Heather MacDonald who wrote and directed the film, it looks carefully at the hysteria and hatred which was brought about by those in opposition to "special rights for gays and lesbians". These people were urged onward by members of the Christian right. It is quite easy to see how the director tried very hard to maintain a balance between the pros and the cons of the measure but the true empathy of the film lies with those who organized themselves and others to oppose and defeat the measure. These were laws that would have denied legal recourse against discrimination in housing and employment to homosexuals. Likewise ballot measure 9 would have prevented cities from enacting their own legislation for civil rights for gays and lesbians.
MacDonald was able to interview many of the more virulent opponents to the measure and thereby gives us a very important look at a significant document in the history of our civil rights. Here is a wonderful documentary on the horrendous attempt of the Oregon Citizen's Alliance to destroy equal rights in this country. We get to see the moments of victory and those of defeat on both sides of the issue. This movie is a good instrument to be used to frighten people of the hatred that exists in America and movies like this can stir the citizenry to action to defeat the propaganda and insecurities that organizations like the Oregon Citizen's Council promote.
"Ballot Measure 9" should be required viewing for all Americans because it so beautifully shows how the denial of rights to one group affects the entire country.


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