Dustin Lance Black reflects on Prop. 8 case

My friend and fellow journalist Karen Ocamb saved me a seat in the front row for yesterday’s press conference in downtown LA following the unveiling of the court decision striking down Proposition 8.

Shortly before the event, organized by the American Foundation for Equal Right, actor-director Rob Reiner and writer-director Dustin Lance Black took seats just a few chairs down from us.

That made it easy for me to chat up Lance after it was over and get his thoughts on the day.

Here is an excerpt of a story I’ve just done for Gay Star News:

After Dustin Lance Black won an Academy Award for the screenplay he wrote for Milk, he did more with his newfound fame than write and direct more movies.

His Oscar win came less than three months after California voters passed Proposition 8 and he took a leading role in the fight for marriage equality as one of the founding members of the American Foundation for Equal Rights.

It is AFER that sponsored the groundbreaking case which led to this week’s ruling by the 9th District U.S. Court of Appeals which found that California’s ban on gay marriage unconstitutional.

‘We were all incredibly pleased,’ Black told Gay Star News shortly after the court decision was announced. ‘We were all at our lawyer’s offices when news came in. We’ve been winning this every step of the way and it’s a lot of hugs and tears.’

But no one was popping champagne.

‘It’s a reverent response,’ he said. ‘It’s not like you just won something. You get the feeling that your country has embraced you and so it was quiet and it was reverent and grateful.’

Go to Gay Star News to read the rest of my story.