Originally published: Jan. 11, 2013, 8:43 a.m.
Updated: Jan. 14, 2013, 11:10 a.m.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Two Charlotte natives are on a quest to record history and explore how last year’s anti-LGBT state constitutional campaign affected the lives of North Carolinians.
Producers Lauren Schneider and Will Clegg have been traveling the state to interview individuals, couples and activists. They want to know how Amendment One affected daily life and how the campaign transformed Carolina politics.
“This is a post-campaign look at what happened, what people’s experiences were during the event and lead up to the actual vote,” says Schneider.
The film-making team, which is held a fundraiser for their effort at the Visulite Theatre on Jan. 11, say they want their film to tell all sides of the story.
“Our goal is to be as unbiased as we can be and to talk to as many people as we can to foster a healthy, civil conversation,” Schneider says. “After all the backlash, the media, the vote and during the campaign, there were some destructive conversations around these issues. We want to bring some healthy, positive conversation and do some bridge building between as many viewpoints as we can.”
Schneider and Clegg, who are joined in the effort by Christina Birkhead, have held dozens of interviews already. They’ve spoken to couples, activists, legislators and religious leaders. They’ve been sure to find people from both sides of the issue, though finding amendment supporters willing to speak on camera has been more difficult.
“It has been challenging to find those people,” says Schneider.
The film, still in production with more than $50,000 in successfully-raised funding via Kickstarter.com, will seek to show what Schneider says are “beautiful stories on both sides.”
Schneider adds, “People are so much more tolerant and understanding than the media and political system would have us believe they are.”
info:Â facebook.com/AmendmentOne