(Washington, DC) - Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, with license from the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) and Broadway Impact, is proud to announce a one-night-only reading of 8, a play chronicling the historic trial in the federal constitutional challenge to California's Proposition 8, written by Academy Award-winning screenwriter and AFER Founding Board Member Dustin Lance Black. Coinciding with Capital Pride 2012, the reading will take place on Monday, June 4th at 7pm, with all tickets $5. Tickets may be purchased online atwww.woollymammoth.net, over the phone at 202-393-3939, or in person at the Box Office located at 641 D Street, NW.

The reading of 8 at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company will be directed by Alan Paul, Associate Director of Shakespeare Theatre Company and will feature Woolly Company Members Jessica Frances Dukes, Rick Foucheux, Jennifer Mendenhall, Eric Sutton, and Emily Townley with other prominent actors from the DC theatre community.

Following the reading, Woolly will host a town-hall style discussion with the Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Rea Carey, Maryland State Senator Richard S. Madaleno Jr., Human Rights Campaign's Legal Director Brian Moulton, and Matt Nosanchuk from the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. The discussion will be livestreamed on #NewPlay TV (www.livestream.com/newplay).

In addition, Woolly and local organizations will collaborate to host T8KE ACTION--an LGBTQ Activism Fair. The fair will be held in Woolly's lower lobby beginning at 6pm on June 4th, and will be free and open to the public until 10pm. Visitors can learn about ways to get involved with important issues affecting the LGBTQ community here in DC. Participating organizations include theACLU, the Community Education Group, Human Rights Campaign, Metro Teen AIDS, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, SMYAL, PFLAG DC and the DC Center for the LGBT Community.

On Monday, October 25th, the District of Columbia City Council held a public hearing on the subject of the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009, which would grant legal marriage to same sex couples. Prior to the hearing for this hotly contested issue, for which 269 people registered to testify, opponents of marriage equality held a protest in D.C.'s Freedom Plaza. The group seeks a referendum on the bill, which would likely violate D.C.'s Human Rights Act, which forbids ballot initiatives on issues of civil rights. Footage taken and at an earlier event and edited by the People for the American Way sums up the points, spirit, and clear homophobia of the group.

Assertions that religion was necessarily tied to opposition to the bill were disputed again and again during Monday's testimonies. Over the course of the hearings, religious leaders of many faiths testified on behalf of marriage equality. Reverend Robert Hardies of All Souls Church testified that he was firmly committed to marriage equality. "My faith teaches me that where love is present, God is also present," said Hardies. "I urge you to do the right thing and to stand on the side of love." Hardies also applauded the council's legislation for its broad religious liberties clause, which would allow those churches who disagreed with same sex marriage to refuse to perform ceremonies.

Georgetown professor, Catholic priest, and organizer for Catholics United for Marriage Equality Rev. Dr. Joseph Palacios, spoke of what he viewed as the essential separation of church and state, especially as concerns marriage. Palacios also cited statistics indicating that, when told that churches would not be forced to perform same sex marriages, as is provided in the bill, Catholics are in favor of civil marriage equality.

Testimonies in favor of marriage equality swept across a broad range of demographics. Patrick Mara, who identified himself as a "straight Republican who unequivocally supports marriage equality in the District of Columbia," spoke of a large contingency of local Republicans that favored the bill, and said that the city must not "penalize citizens that are gay or lesbian because of their birth."

DC for Marriage organizer Michael Crawford spoke briefly about the contingent of African American voters in D.C., which he said have been wrongly characterized as uniformly opposed to marriage equality. "My group, DC for Marriage, has been having literally thousands of conversations with residents across the District," said Crawford, "and overwhelmingly we have had people who have said to us 'we are with you on marriage equality.'" Crawford said that he wants marriage in the District in part because he wants his 92-year-old grandmother to see her oldest grandson get married.

Bishop Harry Jackson asked the city council members to respect the rights of the people of D.C. to have a referendum, describing at length the District's milestones in voting. David Catania had a history lesson of his own (3:17), saying that the last advisory referendum vote involving the rights of a particular community was in 1865, when the mayor feared efforts of radical Republicans to give the right to vote to recently freed slaves. The vote was 6591 to 35 to deny the right to freed African American males. "There is an opportunity," said Catania, "to have tyranny at a ballot box."

Also notable in the history of D.C. voting is that Jackson has not participated in at least the last ten years, as he was a Maryland resident. Final witness Ernestine Copeland captured the tone of opposition to marriage equality by wrapping up Monday's hearings, at approximately 10:50 p.m., by reading from words scrawled on a sheet of notebook paper that "the devil has showed up here today," and that "the prophecy has never gone unfulfilled." "My god is about reproduction," said Copeland, who felt confident that this legislation (which would help grant equal rights to all District residents) would destroy our society, as "we serve a just god." Copeland also saw fit to refer to one councilman as Demon Wells. "You allowed me to be fired over the telephone, working for the D.C. government," said Copeland on the apparent subject of marriage equality. "Shame on you demons."

The second and final hearing on marriage equality will be held next Monday at 3 p.m. ALSO OF INTEREST: In three videos, the council members discuss with Catholic Charities their rights as a group funded 75% by public money.

We invite you to join with people of faith from across DC for Soulful Voices for Marriage Equality, an inspiring night of music and worship in support of marriage equality for the LGBT community. As you know, the DC Council is currently considering a marriage equality bill, and the media continues to portray people of faith as opposed to this bill. We know this isn't true.

Nearly 200 DC clergy, including Catholics, have signed a Declaration of Religious Support for Marriage Equality, and now its time for you to lend your voice to this important struggle. Please join us this Thursday at 7:00 pm at Asbury United Methodist Church, on the corner of 11th & K Sts, NW. Asbury is located just 3 blocks from Metro Centro Station, and there is ample parking nearby.

WHAT: Soulful Voices for Marriage Equality: A Faith Celebration

WHERE: Asbury United Methodist Church, 11th & K Sts., NW

WHEN: Thursday, October 29, from 7-9 pm WHO: People of faith from across DC who support marriage equality for the LGBT Community.