November marks the fifth anniversary of Maine’s 2012 citizens’ initiative approving same-sex marriage and becoming the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote. To mark the occasion, the Midcoast Unitarian Universalist Fellowship will host a special free screening of the new film "The Freedom to Marry" on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Theater in Damariscotta.

The Midcoast UU Fellowship took an active role in supporting the 2012 initiative by collectively voting its public support, and many Fellowship members actively worked on the successful campaign for marriage equality.

"The Freedom to Marry" is an intimate and epic documentary that goes behind the scenes of the historic civil rights struggle to tell the story of how love won. It shows how Maine’s own civil rights attorney Mary Bonauto and key colleagues waged their climactic battle before the United States Supreme Court in 2015 to make same-sex marriage a right nationwide. The film is a primer for social change, and an inspirational tale of how people can actually make a difference.

This highly acclaimed documentary has won Best Documentary at nine film festivals and was hailed by critics from the Los Angeles Times and the Boston Globe as “moving” and “inspiring.” Entertainment Weekly chose it for its “Must List.”

A post-film discussion will be moderated by the Reverend Erika Hewitt, minister of the Midcoast UU Fellowship, and will feature Dale McCormick, a pioneering Maine LGBTQ activist and former state legislator, Maine State Treasurer, and Director of the Maine State Housing Authority.