Stephanie Mumma, Elizabeth Reynolds, Marion Warren II

GAY MARRIAGE AND ADOPTION

Category 3: Film and Television

MARRIAGE

WHAT ARE THE TITLE, WEB ADDRESS, PUBLISHER & YEAR, OR PRODUCTION COMPANY & YEAR?• Media Source=Category 3; Film and Television

• Title= Freedom to Marry-Documentary

• Web Address= http://www.freedomtomarry.tv/

• Production Company and Year= Turtle Time Productions, 2005

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT IS THE MISSION OR PURPOSE?• The mission or purpose of Freedom to Marry is to

show everyone that gay marriage consists of people just like straight marriage; two people that are in love and want to make an everlasting bond. The purpose of this documentary is to show and persuade people to be fore gay marriage. “The right to marry means little if it does not include the right to marry the person of one’s choice.”

DOES THE INFORMATION SEEM UP--‐TO--‐DATE AND UNBIASED? EXPLAIN IN DETAIL.

• Most of the information is from 2004 in the documentary, but on the documentaries website they share updates of gay marriage. They bring up Obamas stand on it and what he has done with it and update on the states participation. They are consistent with their information.

• Personally looking at this website and documentary from a straight perspective and from one who doesn’t have a strong opinion on gay marriage I definitely only felt I was being informed on gay marriage. I felt uncomfortable being straight and watching this movie, even though their target audience is the straight population. In terms of the information being unbiased I would say it was. They supported their stand, and yes all the information was primarily about gays and how it’s unfair that they can’t get married but it was presented in a way to help everyone feel their pain and possibly become accepting of gay marriage.

WHAT TYPE OF INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE?

• Information available:

• • Programming- Times and places for next viewing of the film. Also where one can buy the documentary.

• • Donations- The Freedom to Marry Project= Donations go towards a grant fund for special needs of organizations, schools, and libraries that are without an acquisition budget.

DOES THE RESOURCE HAVE CURRENT, RELATED PROJECTS UNDERWAY THAT ARE RELEVANT TO THE FIELD OF SEXUALITY?

• • Freedom To Marry and Turtle Time Production are always fighting and supporting their only campaign, the Marriage Equality Movement. This movement is what gave them the opportunity and drive to make the documentary, Freedom to Marry.

WOULD THIS RESOURCE BE USEFUL FOR YOUR PEERS TO VIEW? WHY OR WHY NOT?• This resource would be very useful for my peers to view because it is showing great

examples of gay couples in the U.S. that are suffering from not being able to get married. Freedom to Marry gives a great intimate and relatable story no matter what your sexuality. It makes you think what it would be like if you weren’t allowed to marry the one you loved. The Turtle Time Productions website gives a great insight to what the documentary will be about and shows peoples comments on the movie. This resource is a great way to find out how you feel about gay marriage.

DID THIS RESOURCE PROVIDE NEW INSIGHT ON ISSUES OR CHALLENGE YOUR BELIEFS IN ANY WAY?• This documentary definitely made me think twice about not participating in the marriage

equality movement. I have always stayed out of it since it doesn’t pertain to me. But this documentary made me realize that a lot of my friends are gay, and by me not helping them out in fighting for the right to get married is not being supportive for them. I want my friends to be as happy as I will be some day, and if that means going out of my comfort zone to fight for gay marriage rights then I better get started.

SHARE A COUPLE INTERESTING POINTS, FACTS, OR RESOURCES TOUCHED UPON IN EACH RESOURCE.• Freedom to Marry shows hundreds of couples ranging from several ages and shows their

story, their opinion and their joy for the future. Freedom to Marry allows you to form a relationship with the couples and feel their pain, and it persuades you to think twice about being against gay marriage. Just to show how oblivious I am in regards to the progression of gay marriage, in 2004 the governor of San Francisco made marriage legal for homosexuals. Now as of February Massachusetts, Connecticut, California, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire and the District of Columbia Issues marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Rhode Island, New York and Maryland Recognize same-sex marriages from other states. Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire Allow civil unions, providing state-level spousal rights to same-sex couples. California, Oregon, Nevada and Washington have a Statewide law provides nearly all state-level spousal rights to unmarried couples (domestic partnerships). Hawaii, Maine, District of Columbia and Wisconsin have a statewide law provides some state-level spousal rights to unmarried couples (domestic partnerships). (Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships., 2011) Their wish and hopes are coming true and spreading throughout the United States

RELATION TO HUMAN SEXUALITY• Marriage is not even half of the problems homosexuals face throughout their lives. In

some countries just being “gay” can have cruel sentences. Some countries punish gays with death, life in prison or a prison sentence of 1-25 years. (Lee, 2009)

• Luckily there are 14 countries with national laws that protect homosexuals from discrimination. These countries include; Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain and Sweden.(Siecus, 1999)

• These countries that protect from discrimination could be on the path to allowing gay marriage as more and more of the U.S. is slowly doing.

Category 2: Web Materials

ADOPTION

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT IS THE MISSION OR PURPOSE?• The mission to adopt a child is to give a child a home. A loving couple wants to share love

a child and give them a home a safe place to call home. This purpose of having a child is nature of being a human. Also this would give many children put less kids in foster care. If a mother was going to have a baby and she felt at that point in time in her left that she would not be able to raise her baby who is to say that to women or two men can’t raise the baby, they can be great parents along with heterosexual couple, and some may be even better because of the love and passion they have.

DOES THE INFORMATION SEEM UP TO DATE AND UNBIASED? EXPLAIN IN DETAIL.• The information is very unbiased. One of the resources had a experiment that was

continued though the childes first 20 years. Also being compared to children raised in a heterosexual house. Having the data and being comparing you can not be bias. Also my second source is from About.com and it has information on both sides of the issue at hand.

ARE THE AUTHORS, PRODUCERS, WEB MASTERS, OR OTHER MANAGING ENTITIES RELIABLE PEOPLE OR GROUPS? HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS?

• My first reference is from CNN and I believe that CNN is a reliable reference from the internet. So About.com has a lot of reliable new website where they get their information from, as in MSNBC, and CNN. The reports has also gotten degrees from a college.

WHAT TYPE OF INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE?

• Children raised with Lesbians were less likely to be born with a behavioral problem. A study started in 1986 following lesbians couples that got a sperm donor, They study interviewed the mothers during pregnancy, also when the children were two, five, ten and seventeen. They were questioned about there psychological relationship with friends and family. The data was compared to non-lesbian couple, and the teens that grown up with Lesbian parents they had higher social, academic and total competence, had lower rates in social and rule-breaking.

DOES THE RESOURCE HAVE CURRENT, RELATED PROJECTS UNDERWAY THAT ARE RELEVANT TO THE FIELD OF SEXUALITY?

• The CNN case study just ended a couple years ago, but the study is still being told and used for future case study’s

• In Florida there is currently lawsuit for challenging the law for homosexual being able to adopt foster children. This a campaign for gay rights and for a court case.

WOULD THIS RESOURCE BE USEFUL FOR YOUR PEERS TO VIEW? WHY OR WHY NOT?• The CNN article would be great for my friends to view. I think it would help them

understand the issues and if they don’t believe that homosexual couple should adopt it could change they mind on the issues as a whole! Or make them understand the other side of the issues. Also when we debt the issues it would be easier to understand both sides.

DID THIS RESOURCE PROVIDE NEW INSIGHT ON ISSUES OR CHALLENGE YOUR BELIEFS IN ANY WAY?• The about.com resource challenges my belief by it has both sides the of the issues. I’m

and not okay with the challenging my believe if homosexual couples should be able to be adopt or not. But it also gives me a look on how people that don’t have the same beliefs as me. I can see where they are coming from and be more relatable and understand their thoughts.

SHARE A COUPLE INTERESTING POINTS, FACTS, OR RESOURCES TOUCHED UPON IN EACH RESOURCE.• Some states you need to be married because it’s discourage for a single person to adopt

a baby.

• Florida specifically bans homosexuals from adopting. The law started in 1977 when Anita Bryant had a statewide campaign to over- turn Dade county’s gay rights laws.

• Print Based

• Freedom to Marry. (2004/2005). San Francisco: Turtle Time Productions. www.freedomtomarry.tv

• Lee, M. (2009, March 18). U.S. endorses UN gay rights text (IN-TEXT; CROOKS, R., BAUR, K. OUR SEXUALITY 11TH EDITION.)

• SIECUS (1999). Worldwide antidiscrimination laws and policies based on sexual orientation. SIECUS Report, 27, 19-22.

• Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships. (2011). Retrieved April 11, 2011, from http://www.ncsl.org

• Image http://www.sdentertainer.com/news/judge-weighs-gay-marriage-resume-august-18/

• Web Based

• Park, M. (June 7, 2010) Kids of lesbians have fewer behavioral problems, Study suggests, http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/06/07/lesbian.children.adjustment/index.html

• Belge, K. (unknown date), Lesbian and Gay Adoption Rights. http://lesbianlife.about.com/cs/families/a/adoption.htm

• Image http://www.sdentertainer.com/news/judge-weighs-gay-marriage-resume-august-18/

REFERENCES