Media blackout of Proposition 8 federal trial discussed on In The Life

In January, just as the federal trial over the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8 was set to begin, I wrote at length about the conservative media's likely response to such a legal challenge given their past coverage of gay and lesbian equality issues:

Regardless of which side prevails, experts agree the case is likely to be appealed all the way to the highest court in the land.

Cue right-wing media hysteria and homophobia.

Few other issues whip the conservative media chattering class into a frenzy like the equality of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans. This unprecedented federal legal challenge is unlikely to be any different.

The Prop. 8 trial was to be videotaped and provided to the public via YouTube. In a very real sense, the notion of what it means to be an LGBT American would be on trial and the whole world would be watching.

It was unclear at the time whether those who supported the dismantling of marriage equality in California would be successful in their legal effort to keep cameras out of the courtroom -- a move the traditional media opposed. In the end, the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative, activist majority banned the cameras.

I recently sat down with the folks at In The Life -- the longest running television show documenting the gay experience -- to discuss the High Court imposed media blackout. Be sure to check out the video below: