IN THE LIFE Remembers Pioneer Del Martin in its October Season Premier, ‘Civil Rites & Civil Rights’

Filed Under Gay Marriage, Obits, TV | August 29th, 2008 

IN THE LIFE’s Scott Miller sent out an email this week saying: “It’s with sadness and in that vein that I’m writing, both, to share with you (if you don’t already know) that longtime LGBT civil rights activist and pioneer Del Martin died [Wednesday morning], and that IN THE LIFE is privileged to be airing never-before-seen footage of Del and her partner of 55 years, Phyllis Lyon, becoming the first same-sex couple to wed in California after the state Supreme Court mandated equal marriage rights for gay men and lesbians. Our hearts go out to Phyllis, to whom, in life and love, Del was inextricably linked.”

When Del and Phyllis Got Married (IN THE LIFE)

‘When Del and Phyllis Got Married’ — IN THE LIFE Remembers Pioneer Del Martin in its October Season Premier, “Civil Rites & Civil Rights”. (IN THE LIFE)

The 17th Season Premiere episode of IN THE LIFE, “Civil Rites & Civil Rights”, takes an in-depth look at the journey to marriage equality in America’s most populous state, California, and the real possibility that this newly gained right could be erased with the passage of the Proposition 8 referendum in November.

Also in this episode, IN THE LIFE features A Conversation With… Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial writer for the Washington Post, Jonathan Capehart, interviewing NAACP Chairman Julian Bond about the intersections of gay rights, civil rights, and marriage equality.

It’s a profound honor for us to conclude our season’s kick-off episode with Del and Phyllis’ recent wedding. That episode now becomes a joyous tribute to Del’s life, her relationship with Phyllis, her witness, and struggle for LGBT equality. We are braver and stronger for having had her in our midst.

Source: IN THE LIFE

Related Post: Pioneering LGBT Activist Del Martin Mourned