Ogilvy's Emily Clark Asks 'Is Gay Marriage Next?' in Powerful Documentary

An iconic Newsweek cover inspired the film

A magazine cover changed Emily Clark’s life.

It was a 2003 issue of Newsweek, featuring a lesbian couple, with the cover line: “Is Gay Marriage Next?” Clark was 19 at the time, and even though she had known she was gay since high school, she was closeted. But that cover gave her courage. A month after it was published, Clark came out, inspired by the two women—Lis and Lauren—who appeared in the iconic photo.

Two decades later, Clark meets these women, who had such a huge impact on her life, in the short documentary Is Gay Marriage Next?, which she produced and directed.

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While no state in the U.S. recognized or granted same-sex marriages back in 2003, activists believed the tide was about to turn. Indeed, the very next year, Massachusetts became the first state to officially recognize such unions. A dozen years later, they were legal nationwide.

But now, in a post-Roe world, there is talk of a majority conservative Supreme Court overturning marriage equality if given the chance.

Against that backdrop, Is Gay Marriage Next? explores the history of LGBTQ rights in the U.S., revealing how hard-fought advances can be taken away. Stirring and informative, the short documentary is currently touring the film festival circuit, with screenings at the Woodstock Film Festival this month and DOC NYC in November.

Clark, a creative director at Ogilvy in New York City, spoke to Muse about the project:

MUSE: Why was it so important for you to get this documentary made?

Emily Clark: I felt like I had the idea, and it wasn’t even a decision. I was immediately looking for DPs, because I was like, “This is just so relevant. It’s my story.” I’m diving into some personal pain and excavating feelings that I had probably ignored for too long. But it’s so relevant. It’s an election year, and it’s all on the table again. We didn’t ever think that we would be backsliding.

How did the process of making the film begin?

The first thing was to track down the magazine, which was an adventure, because my memory was wrong. I thought I was much younger [when it came out]. So, I was looking at Newsweeks from the ’90s. And I was like, “Where is it?” Then I realized, “It was right before I came out. It was the thing that helped me come out.” So, it was 2003. Then I found someone selling it on eBay, and I bought it.

How did Lis and Lauren react when you told them you wanted to make a documentary?

To them, [talking to Newsweek] was a cool thing to do, and they had their picture taken. To me, it was mindblowing, it changed my life. As soon as they understood the personal connection, the life-changing moment I made through their decision, there wasn’t a lot of convincing. They were like, “Okay, let’s do this.”

Did you know from the beginning this would be a short doc, or were you thinking feature-length film?

I am coming from the world of advertising. Ogilvy in many ways has been my film school. I’ve learned everything about being on set from this job. Making a film that is longer than 2 minutes is such a gigantic effort when you’re coming from advertising. So, it was always going to be a short—15 minutes. It nearly killed me!

How did you put your crew together?

I wanted to assemble as much of an all-queer crew as I could. That was really important to me, because on so many ads, it’s really straight. It is very straight on set. I wanted to create a room—because all these people are in the room—where I felt really comfortable. In the movie, I cried to [Lis and Lauren] about how impactful it was [seeing them on Newsweek], and I didn’t want it being weird for someone. I wanted everyone in the room to be like, “I get it.” And they did.

How did you fund this project?

I feel like I made an ad for gay marriage, and there was no one there to fund it—except for my job. I self-funded slowly over the course of the year. And I did a Kickstarter for help with music, because there’s a couple of famous songs. It was expensive.

As a journalist, I was happy to see you interviewed the brilliant Marcus Mabry, the former chief of correspondents at Newsweek, who is now at CNN.

I wanted a little bit of the behind-the-scenes of what was going on there. Someone recommended Marcus, and he ended up being the lynchpin of the whole thing. He’s gay. He remembered everything. He was so smart. Truly one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. He knows so much, and it was just great to be able to talk to him about setting the scene for what was going down politically at that time.

Same-sex marriage is supposed to be something that’s settled. My wife and I—and all same-sex couples—shouldn’t have to worry about it. But we do. Are you shocked by the very real possibility of losing this right?

Totally. You believe that you’re making progress, and then suddenly people come along and backtrack, and you’re like, “What the hell was the point of all that fighting and all that convincing?” It feels horrible to look at the progress we’ve made and realize it’s not permanent.

And look at what’s happening to the trans community. They don’t have rights, and they’re being blocked at every turn. So, I wanted to use this magazine headline as a way to talk about the broader story of all the horrors that are happening in the community. What was happening to gay people in 2003 is happening tenfold to trans people in 2024.

How have audiences reacted to your film?

Whenever I’m in a room with people watching it, the tears are flowing. People really, really react to it. Even straight people.

You made this on your own while also working full-time in advertising. What would you say to someone who has an idea for a film but doesn’t see how they can make it?

Especially as a female filmmaker, there are additional emotional challenges to overcome, because we’re raised to ask for permission so much. A huge part of this was giving myself permission. I am in the driver’s seat, and I get to decide that this is something that’s going to become a real thing. Emotionally, the labor you need to say yes to yourself is huge and shouldn’t be discounted.

And then comes the logistical production side, which anybody can figure out. Get in Excel. Call your friends. If you have an idea that you can convince people is a good idea, find young people where it’s mutually beneficial, where they need something for their reel.

We need new voices. This is what I always say—in advertising, too. I scream from the rooftops that representation is so important. People need to see their story reflected on screen. It changes lives, and I know this because of experience.