BALLOT MEASURE 9

By now, everyone know the outcome of Oregon's 1992 ballot measure: unlike its Colorado counterpart, this proposal to deny civil rights to gay people was decisively defeated. But how? And why? Director Heather MacDonald ducks behind the headlines to lay bare the passions, strategies, and clear-eyed organizing that drove the forces, pro and con, in the days and nights leading up to that Novemeber day when the United States elected Clinton president, and the state of Oregon elected 57% to 43% to continue to confer the status of humanity upon its gay population. Central to the film's power are th brave crusaders who risk harrassment, attack, and even firebombing to stand up for themselves, their gay or lesbian friends and allies, and their own beliefs. As the odds even out and the level of violence escalates, the documentary acquires the tension and suspense of a fiction film. The local chronicle quickly evolves into a far-ranging expose of hate politics that crosses the lines of race, religion, and sexual identity.-Sundance Film Festival.