Ballot Measure 9

In 1992 a referendum was held in the American state of Oregon on the question of whether discriminating stipulations with regard to gay people should be included in the federal law. This initiative was taken by a right-wing civil movement the Oregon Citizen's Alliance who claimed to guard public morality and family values. They lumped homosexuality together with 'paedophilia, sadism, and abnormal and perverted behaviour'. By shooting for more than six months in Portland, Oregon Heather MacDonald gathered about three hundred hours of footage. In this provocative documentary, she gives the floor to both advocates and opponents of the measure, but there is no doubt about her sympathy for the gay community. With barely restrained anger, ballot measure 9 gives an exact analysis of the political pulse of right-wing America. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)