<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" The Case Against 8, the HBO documentary chronicling the nearly five-year judicial appeal of Proposition 8 (California&amp;#039;s 2008 ballot measure banning same-sex marriage), is, above all else, a story of love and hope. It may mask itself at times as a political thriller, but that&amp;#039;s okay. After all, the historic civil rights showdown seethed with drama: the uphill battle waged by the improbable duo of David Boies and right-winger Ted Olson\u2014the \u00FCber-attorneys who squared off in the 2000 Bush v. Gore recount case\u2014on behalf of marriage equality; the case&amp;#039;s slow but steady path through state and federal courts; and, finally, the victory in the Supreme Court, where Prop 8 was struck down. But the heart of the film is really the case&amp;#039;s plaintiffs, Jeff Zarrillo and Paul Katami, and Kris Perry and Sandy Stier\u2014two couples who sacrificed years of their lives as the faces of a fight for civil liberties for a marginalized community. &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;ve all seen women vilified for rights,&amp;quot; Stier says. &amp;quot;As gay women, we felt even greater vulnerability. Prop 8 was harming Californians, including us and our kids. Someone needed to take that on.&amp;quot; Related: America&amp;#039;s Most Colorful Congresswoman: Krysten Sinema And take it on they did, with a gale force behind them. Ls, Gs, Bs, and Ts have been conditioned to consider their battles theirs and theirs alone. But watching an alliance made up of equally impassioned homo- and heterosexuals\u2014among them a movement conservative, no less\u2014working toward a greater good in The Case Against 8 goes a long way to combat what Perry says had become a frustrating norm: &amp;quot;Being the world&amp;#039;s best coper.&amp;quot; Their victory is triumphal, of course, and with same-sex marriage still illegal in 33 states, and lawsuits filed in the majority of those based on SCOTUS&amp;#039;s Prop 8 decision, it&amp;#039;s one sure to inspire many more, and perhaps a little less coping. Related: Forward March: An ELLE Editor on the End of DOMA This article appeared in the July issue of ELLE magazine. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/reviews/a14613/hbo-the-case-against-8-documentary/>