Equality Forum

What to do and where to go at this year's EF.

by Lauren F. Friedman

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Published: Apr 21, 2009

Before his AIDS-related death in 1985, the gay artist Richard Amsel created some of America's most iconic movie posters, including those for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Hello, Dolly! and Chinatown. His style adapted to his subject matter — creations range from cartoonish designs to portraits executed with such painstaking detail that they seem to pop from the page. This exhibit also includes more than 50 of Amsel's illustrations for concerts, albums and TV Guide.

Sun., May 3, 1 p.m., free, National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St., 215-732-3378, equalityforum.com

In February 2004, when same-sex marriage wasn't legal anywhere in the United States, San Francisco's new mayor suddenly began authorizing same-sex marriages, seemingly out of the blue. Malcolm Lazin, executive director of Equality Forum, recalls the genuine puzzlement at the time. "Why did Gavin Newsom — who had recently been elected as the mayor of San Francisco, who had not campaigned on same-sex marriage, and who was not even the favorite candidate of the gay community — make this decision?" he asks. At this event, Newsom will discuss his 2004 decision and its ramifications.

While the general public was in a frenzy over Newsom's 2004 decision, a crew of filmmakers — led by Newsom's brother-in-law, Geoff Callan — were meticulously recording the mood of the time: joy and excitement on one side, vitriol and outrage on the other. The 2005 film has been updated to follow the fight for marriage equality in California up through Prop 8, which struck down the state Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage. Newsom is portrayed as a principled man in the center of an ugly storm, reflecting at one point, "I've created a lot of enemies, but at least I sleep well."

Equality Forum has partnered with more than 100 organizations from across the country to stage a rally on Independence Mall that Lazin calls the week's "signature event." All are invited to march for hate crimes protection, workplace nondiscrimination laws, repeals of the "don't ask/don't tell" policy and the Defense of Marriage Act, support for GLBT health issues and the legalization of same-sex marriage. "This has the potential to be a movement-changing moment," Lazin says. "This could be a watershed year."

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