Devote Campaign

Ariana & Diana: Moms Stand Up to DOMA

admin — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:25:58 +0000

(Ariana/U.S./Colombia — Diana/Colombia) — Brooklyn, NY: Ariana and Diana met over a decade ago through the Latina lesbian community while living in San Francisco. At the time, Diana was simply looking for sanctuary after enduring tremendous violence, both anti-gay and otherwise, in her home country. Now married and the mothers of 2-year-old Gabriela, they dread the thought of their family being torn apart because of the Defense of Marriage Act.

*This video is part of the collaborative series, ‘Love Stories: Binational Couples on the Front Lines Against DOMA,’ produced by Lavi Soloway and Brynn Gelbard for The DOMA Project and The DeVote Campaign.

*For more information and how you can help:

http://www.domaproject.org

http://devotecampaign.com

*And please follow us on Facebook and Twitter:

https://www.facebook.com/TheDOMAProject

https://twitter.com/GayBinationals

https://facebook.com/devotecampaign

https://twitter.com/devotecampaign

Produced by: Lavi Soloway & Brynn Gelbard
Directed by: Brynn Gelbard
Cinematography by: Hanh Nguyen
Edited by: Steven Farr
Music: Kevin MacLeod (incomptech.com)

Trailer: ‘Love Stories: Binational Couples on the Front Lines Against DOMA’

admin — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 18:45:21 +0000

‘Love Stories: Binational Couples on the Front Lines Against DOMA’ is series of short films produced by The DeVote Campaign and The DOMA Project featuring LGBT families from across America who are asserting their equality by petitioning for green cards based on their marriages and demanding that the U.S. government treat them no differently than opposite sex couples under federal law. They are opening up about their personal struggles living under the Defense of Marriage Act to shine a spotlight on this prejudicial law and end it, all the while ensuring their experiences are properly archived as history that should be learned from and never repeated.

*For more information and how you can help:

http://domaproject.org

http://devotecampaign.com

*And please follow us on Facebook and Twitter:

https://www.facebook.com/TheDOMAProject

https://twitter.com/GayBinationals

https://facebook.com/devotecampaign

https://twitter.com/devotecampaign

https://twitter.com/BrynnGelbard

Produced by: Lavi Soloway & Brynn Gelbard
Directed by: Brynn Gelbard
Cinematography by: Hanh Nguygen, Brynn Gelbard and Melinda Bagatelos
Edited by: Steven Farr
Music: Old Dreams — Emphemetry (freemusicarchive.org)

Judy and Karin: Golden Girls Fight for their Marriage

admin — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 20:17:18 +0000

A gay rights activist since the ’70s, Judy Rickard has been highlighting the struggles of same-sex binational couples since she fell in love with Karin, a U.K. citizen. Now married, they are advocating for green card applications like theirs to be held in abeyance while DOMA makes its way through the courts, or is repealed by Congress. Judy is the author of Torn Apart: United by Love, Divided by Law, published in 2011.

Becky & Sanne: Fighting DOMA to Keep Their Family Together

admin — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 04:09:51 +0000

(Becky/U.S. — Sanne/Netherlands) — Asheville, NC: Becky and Sanne first met while traveling around India several years ago. Though able to live freely in The Netherlands, the first country in the world to grant full marriage rights to same sex spouses, they are raising their 2-year-old daughter, Willow, in Asheville, North Carolina, near the family, mountains, and community they love. By sharing their story, they hope to publicize the plight of binational couples while promoting a world in which Willow never has to suffer discrimination for having two moms.

*For more information and how you can help:

http://www.domaproject.org

http://devotecampaign.com

*And please follow us on Facebook and Twitter:

https://www.facebook.com/TheDOMAProject

https://twitter.com/GayBinationals

https://facebook.com/devotecampaign

https://twitter.com/devotecampaign

Produced by: Lavi Soloway & Brynn Gelbard
Directed by: Brynn Gelbard
Cinematography by: Hanh Nguygen
Edited by: Steven Farr
Music:
Light Thought Var 3 — Kevin MacLeod (incomptech.com)
Happiness Is — Podington Bear/Egress (freemusicarchive.org)

Yohandel & Daniel: DOMA Threatens Young Love

admin — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 05:47:10 +0000

(Yohandel/U.S./Cuba — Daniel/Mexico) — Miami, FL: Ever since they first locked eyes across a South Beach dance floor, Yohandel and Daniel knew they were meant to be together. Following their wedding in early 2012, Daniel overstayed his visa to remain in the U.S. with his husband, knowing the risks and sacrifices it entailed. Yohandel, a Cuban immigrant, contrasts the breach of civil rights inherent in the Defense of Marriage Act with the free U.S. his father told him about before moving to this country.

*This video is part of a collaborative series entitled ‘Binational Couples Share Their Stories for Change,’ produced by Lavi Soloway and Brynn Gelbard for The DOMA Project and The DeVote Campaign.

*For more information and how you can help:

http://www.domaproject.org

http://devotecampaign.com

*And please follow us on Facebook and Twitter:

https://www.facebook.com/TheDOMAProject

https://twitter.com/GayBinationals

https://facebook.com/devotecampaign

https://twitter.com/devotecampaign

Produced by: Lavi Soloway & Brynn Gelbard
Shot and directed by: Brynn Gelbard
Edited by: Steven Farr
Music: Kevin MacLeod (incomptech.com)
D&Y’s wedding photography: Joanna Chau

David W. Ross Tackles the Harsh Reality for Binational Same-Sex Couples in ‘I Do’

admin — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:40:24 +0000

Once upon a member of the UK boy band, Bad Boys Inc., David W. Ross brings to light the harsh reality for binational same-sex couples in America in his upcoming feature film, ‘I Do’. Here, he discusses his inspirations for telling this story as well as his decision to come out of the closet despite what it could mean for his career as an actor in Hollywood.

Devote Trailer

admin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:33:32 +0000

There’s been much in the way of positive change since we kicked off the Devote Campaign and the trailer is proof. Thank you so much to KT Tunstall for taking time out from her busy schedule to provide narration. Check it out, spread the word, and keep in mind that we are on the look out for subjects with incredible stories about why they are committed to LGBTQ equality.

Brian and Alfonso, Together 10 Years, Fight DoMA Deportation

admin — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:02:28 +0000

Brian and Alfonso are a binational couple living the Bay Area, where Alfonso first came from Mexico 21-years-ago. Because the US Government continues to enforce DoMA and will not recognize their marriage for immigration purposes, Alfonso is facing deportation.
*This video is part of an ongoing collaboration with Stop the Deportations – The DOMA Project

Jake Goodman, Human Rights Activist and Founding Member of Queer Rising

admin — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:06:17 +0000

Self-proclaimed nice Jewish boy, Jake Goodman, felt called to take a stand for LGBT equality in 2008 when the New York State Senate rejected same-sex marriage and Prop 8 passed in California so, he united with everyday people committed to achieving equality through non-violent direct action to form Queer Rising. This November, three members go to trial for blocking evening rush hour traffic outside Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office in Manhattan to bring attention to what were, at the time, the state’s discriminatory marriage laws.

www.queerrising.org

Melissa Sklarz, First Transgender Person Elected to Public Office in New York State

admin — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 06:34:43 +0000

Throughout her career in politics and activism, Melissa Sklarz has become a leading voice in the push for equal rights for transgender people. Once a high school varsity athlete, she opens up about her sometimes rocky road to the present to provide hope and inspiration for future generations of trans-identified individuals.