Arts & Entertainment
Acclaimed marriage equality doc coming to DVD
An award-winning documentary about an important battle in the struggle for marriage equality is coming to DVD this week.
“Church & State,” directed by Holly Tuckett and Kendall Wilcox, follows the efforts of Utah activists to overturn the state’s 2004 “Amendment 3,” which not only made same-sex marriage illegal under the state constitution but effectively blocked future legislators from granting same-sex couples any legal rights considered inherent to marriage – such as those affecting medical and end-of-life decisions or rights of inheritance.
The law was challenged in 2013 by three same-sex couples who filed a lawsuit (Kitchen vs. Herbert) against the state. After the US District Court for the District of Utah found in favor of the plaintiffs, the state appealed the decision all the way to the US Supreme Court, which in 2014 declined to hear it – affirming the lower court’s finding that the marriage ban was unconstitutional. A year later, SCOTUS did agree to hear Obergefell v. Hodges, resulting in the affirmation of marriage equality as the law of the land.
The film, described as “the improbable story of a brash, inexperienced gay activist and a tiny Salt Lake City law firm that joined forces to topple Utah’s gay marriage ban,” documents “the bumpy road to equality in Utah” while casting an equal light on both the efforts of the Mormon church to wield it’s heavy influence in state politics and the in-fighting of the LGBTQ community that came close to derailing the entire process.
The documentary hit the festival circuit in 2018; it was the Winner of the Special Jury Award at the American Documentary Film Festival and Film Fund, and the Filmmaker Award at the International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema, Nice.
In an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune, filmmaker Tuckett talked about being at the wedding reception of Salt Lake City entrepreneurs Derek Kitchen and Moudi Sbeity (one of the couples behind the lawsuit) when she decided the direction the documentary would take during a conversation with Kitchen’s grandmother.
“She said, ‘You’ve been following this. What made Derek want to sue the state of Utah?’” Tuckett said.
Tuckett’s first thought was of Mark Lawrence, a controversial LGBT activist who had agitated to overturn Amendment 3 but had been eclipsed in the public eye as the legal battle moved forward; that, she said, was when “I knew I had to tell Mark’s story.”
James Huntsman, the film’s producer, agreed, saying, “We had to pick a character to follow this journey through… [Lawrence is] the most interesting character, and the most controversial one.”
“Church and State” is already available VOD on the usual platforms, but it drops on DVD January 21.
You can watch the trailer below.
The Freddie’s Follies drag show was held at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. on Saturday, Jan. 3. Performers included Monet Dupree, Michelle Livigne, Shirley Naytch, Gigi Paris Couture and Shenandoah.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
a&e features
Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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