Church & State

Church & State is the improbable story of a brash, inexperienced gay activist and a tiny Salt Lake City law firm that joined forces to topple Utah’s gay marriage ban. The film’s ride on the bumpy road to equality in Utah offers a glimpse at the Mormon church’s influence in state politics and the squabbles inside the gay community that nearly derailed a chance to make history. Church & State is a story of triumph, setback and a little-known lawsuit that should have failed, but instead paved the way for a U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized gay unions nationwide.

Top Cast

Jennifer Lynn Dobner

Herself - Reporter, the Salt Lake Tribune

Mark Lawrence

Himself - Founder, Restore Our Humanity

Jim Magleby

Himself - Lawyer - Managing Partner, Magleby & Greenwood

Taylor Petrey

Himself - Religious Studies Professor, Kalamazoo College

Peggy Tomsic

Herself - Lead Lawyer for the Kitchen Case - Partner, Magleby & Greenwood