Motsinger to Speak at Readings of Play "8" at Theatre Alliance

Press Release

Elisabeth Motsinger, Democratic candidate for Representative in the 5th Congressional District, will speak Friday at a community discussion following the Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance's staged reading of "8," a new play about marriage equality.

Written by Academy award-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (MILK, J. EDGAR), "8" chronicles the landmark trial of Perry v. Schwarzenegger, which challenged California's Proposition 8 banning marriage for gay and lesbian couples.

The readings take place amidst early voting for the May 8 Primary, in which North Carolinians will vote on Amendment One, which would amend the state constitution to read "that marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State." A community discussion following each reading will focus on the legal and social impact that NC Amendment One would have on North Carolina families and same sex couples.

Motsinger, who has spoken in opposition to Amendment One, said North Carolina voters should heed the lessons learned in California. "Those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it," she said. "I believe that it is time to move forward towards a day of full equality for all people."

"8" is an unprecedented account of the Federal District Court trial in Perry v. Schwarzenegger (now Perry v. Brown), the case filed by the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) to overturn Proposition 8, which stripped gay and lesbian Californians of the freedom to marry. Black based "8" on the actual words of the trial transcripts, first-hand observations of the courtroom drama and interviews with the plaintiffs and their families.

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