Prop. 8 trial, Perry vs Schwarzenegger kicks off

The unprecedented federal trial to determine if Proposition 8’s ban on same sex marriage violates the U.S. Constitution of equal rights and due process begins today in San Francisco.

The case, Perry vs. Schwarzenegger, is expected to last two to three weeks and to become a landmark that eventually will be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Without the vision and passionate effort of another California resident it is hard to imagine where gay rights would be today.  It was over thirty years ago that Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, was assassinated in San Francisco at the age of 48.  This Oscar-winning documentary about the successful career and assassination of Harvey Milk depicts not only Milk himself, but also the political and social milieu in which he lived.