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January 21, 2009

Prop. 8 transformed the film Milk, writes film scholar B. Ruby Rich

By Jennifer McNulty (831) 459-2495; jmcnulty@ucsc.edu

The passage of Proposition 8 in California, which banned gay marriage in the state, transformed the film Milk into a political touchstone that serves as a reminder that gays "aren't home free yet," says film scholar B. Ruby Rich.

Rich, a professor of community studies and director of the Social Documentation graduate program, writes in the current issue of The Guardian newspaper about the film, which stars Sean Penn as Harvey Milk, the San Francisco supervisor who was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. The film's release coincided with the 30th anniversary of Milk's slaying.

Read Rich's piece online.

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