THE Dublin South West Independent Minister, Katherine Zappone, has said she has been overwhelmed by local messages of support following the release of the Marriage Equality documentary ‘The 34th’ on Netflix.
The documentary sets out how the High Court action by Minister Zappone and her late spouse, Ann Louise Gilligan, was the spark that led to the success of the equality referendum.
Produced by COCO Television, ‘The 34th’ tells the story of the driven and dedicated people who formed Marriage Equality in Ireland and developed it into a highly effective grassroots force with one clear goal in mind – the extension of Civil Marriage to same sex couples.
Through revealing interviews and archive material, former board members and staff outline the strategising, fierce battles, sheer hard graft and personal cost of running such an all-consuming campaign.
From the KAL (Katherine Zappone & Ann Louise Gilligan) case to the historic ‘Yes’ vote on May 22, 2015, this documentary spans a decade culminating in the 34th amendment to the Irish constitution, allowing same sex marriage.
The film opened at the 25th GAZE International LGBT Film Festival, where it was highlighted by the panel as the film that best embodied the spirit of the festival. It was honoured with the ‘Spirit of Gaze Award’ along with the ‘Audience Award’.
Minister Zappone campaigned on the doorsteps throughout Tallaght, Citywest, Terenure and Templeogue to secure the Yes vote locally.
Speaking following the release of the documentary onto the streaming service, Minister Zappone said: “Our friends, neighbours and local supporters always had our back. They encouraged us to bring our fight for equality to the highest courts in the land and years later were just as steadfast as we campaigned on the doorsteps of Dublin South West.
“The release of ‘The 34th’ on Netflix is a tribute to them and to all who voted Yes.
“We must never tire of telling the story of how our families, communities and our country came to this point,” Minister Zappine added.
“It is a message which is equally important today in an uncertain world and offers hope to those whose rights continued to be trampled on.
“I would encourage people of all ages to take some time in the coming weeks to watch ‘The 34th’ and be reminded what we achieved together in our local communities on this vital issue.”