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SAYING ‘I DO’ TO MARRIAGE EQUALITY Legal Eagles Olson and Boies chat about HBO’s ‘The Case Against 8’ B Y J A N E T D O N O VA N
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y goal is to convince everybody in the Republican party, conservatives, liberals, most anybody I can have a chance to communicate with, how important it is to support marriage between people who love one another who want to form a family and want to form a community,” said attorney Ted Olson, the conservative lawyer who partnered with liberal attorney David Boies to argue the landmark Proposition 8 case before the U.S. Supreme Court, in Hollingsworth v. Perry. Olson spoke to Washington Life at the Washington premiere of “The Case Against 8” at The Institute of Peace.The HBO documentary looks inside the legal duo’s groundbreaking efforts to get California’s controversial ban on same-sex marriage overturned by the highest court in the land. On hand was Todd Griffin, a major player on the scene for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community. Following Proposition 8, he founded the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) to overturn the law. “I and my colleagues Ted Olson and David Boies filed the case,” he told us.“I was at lunch one day with some friends [Michelle and Rob Reiner] just after the election and someone came over … and said whenever there is another court case, someone should talk to my former brother-inlaw Ted Olson.” “I don’t think it is against anybody,” Olson added. “Marriage is a conservative value and people who want to be in love and be married — that’s something that conservatives should support. A lot of conservatives are libertarians who understand that right away.There are some who have yet to come around but we’re checking them one at a time ... maybe a bunch at a time like this film will do. We’re changing people’s minds, not just me, but everybody.” NBA player Jason Collins was also there to
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Ben Cotner, Perry lawyer Ted Olson, Brooklyn Nets player Jason Collins, Perry plaintiff Paul Katami, Perry plaintiff Jeff Zarillo and Kris Perry. (Photo by Ralph Alswang)
support the film and to tell his own story about coming out as a major athlete. “When I signed on with the Nets in February, everyone — the entire Nets organization, the ownership, the coaches, the players — they had my back 100 percent,” he said, adding that he hoped his actions will encourage other players to do the same. “I’m very proud about my race and my heritage and [my parents] encouraged me to live a life where I am fulfilled and being a true leader,” he continued. “When it came to being vocal about my sexual orientation, some of the older generation preferred to suggest that ‘some things are not discussed in public’ and I was like ‘No, that’s not the person you raised me to be, that’s not the person that I want to be.’ I want to be vocal, and since I’ve come out, I’ve continued to be vocal.” Griffen reminded us that there is no question
that the passage of Proposition 8 really helped galvanize people, first in California and then the rest of the country. “Who would have thought that particular state would have passed something so hateful,” he noted. “When it did, it really brought about attention through the media to the world. Gay and straight people all started marching in the streets and turned a depressing moment into something quite inspiring.” Plaintiffs Kris Perry, Sandy Stier, Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo joined the premiere along with filmmakers Ben Cotner and Ryan White. “Very early on in the process, which took five years, we got to know the four plaintiffs in the case and our film eventually transitioned into their stories,” White said. “It’s important to remember,” Cotner added, “that while hearts and minds are changing, we still have a long way to go.”
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