Prop. 8 film debut

Excerpts of Moviegoers applaud Prop. 8 film critical of LDS Church By Sean P. Means, The Salt Lake Tribune
01/25/2010
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Cowan received two sustained standing ovations Sunday for his documentary "8: The Mormon Proposition," which harshly criticizes The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for its campaigning for California's ban on same-sex marriage, from the 600-strong audience attending the film's world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

Some in the audience cried when hearing stories of gay men and lesbians recounting discrimination they have suffered. Others hissed when Utah Eagle Forum President Gayle Ruzicka appeared on-screen, or when State Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, appeared to declare homosexuality "the greatest threat to America going down."

Mostly, though, they applauded and cheered Cowan's film for presenting evidence of the LDS Church's work to persuade its members to donate money to the campaign for California's anti-gay Proposition 8 -- and to hide the church's involvement, knowledge of which would have dissuaded voters, through front organizations.

Cowan, a former Salt Lake City TV reporter who was raised in the Mormon faith, told the audience he was compelled to make "8: The Mormon Proposition" because "I was a kid in Roosevelt, Utah, who knew what it was like to be called a faggot."