Let the Prop 8 Trial Be Televised

by Michael Jones · 2010-01-05 14:44:00 UTC
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Prop 8The federal challenge to Proposition 8 -- which might just be the biggest LGBT rights case to hit a courtroom in most of our lifetimes -- is about to start in California, with former Bush attorney Ted Olson and former Gore attorney David Boies leading the charge to overturn the Golden State's ban on gay marriage. Could this revolution (or at least revolutionary case) be televised?

Maybe, if Judge Vaughn Walker hears from enough of us. Judge Walker is seeking public comment on whether or not the case should be televised, something that opponents of gay marriage are fighting with as much gusto as they can muster. Makes you wonder why they're so afraid to have the TV cameras rolling. What are they hiding?

Because the crux of this issue is pretty simple. This case will have massive implications for the civil rights of tens of thousands of Californians -- and quite possibly millions of Americans. How many court cases approach that level of significance? Not many, which is why it's critical that the guts of this trial be as transparent and open as possible. Add your name to the growing list of folks calling on Judge Vaughn Walker to allow cameras in the courtroom.

Anti-gay groups have already started to mobilize, led by Focus on the Family and others, to keep the cameras out. Why? Because they don't want their homophobia on display for all of America to see. But if they believe so strongly in their convictions that LGBT folks don't deserve equal rights to marriage, why are they running scared?

The Courage Campaign and CREDO Action put this in very stark terms. There is unprecedented interest in this trial, and the public deserves to know what happens inside the courtroom. Hell, if we can televise the O.J. Simpson trial, can't we televise a trial for one of the most pressing civil rights issues of our time?

"This case presents issues that are very important to the public, and will affect millions of people. However, if the case is not televised, only a tiny fraction will ever be able to watch the trial in person," according to the Courage Campaign and CREDO Action. What a missed opportunity it would be to close the doors (and the lenses) on what might just be the biggest civil rights case to date for America's gay and lesbian population.

Sign your name here to let Judge Vaughn Walker know just how important it is for this case to move forward as transparently as possible. Your name will be hand delivered to Judge Walker's chambers, driving home the message that this trial shouldn't happen behind closed and locked doors.

Photo: NeitherFanBoy

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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