Ryan Townsend Butler is an American politician and filmmaker. He directed the first documentary about

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

to air on national television in the United States, is the former president of the LGBT Democrats of North Carolina and is a former member of the Democratic National Committee.

Political career

Butler previously served on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission for Dupont Circle,

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in Ward 2. He was elected on November 7, 2006 with 87.47% of the vote. He was the first President of the LGBT Democrats of North Carolina. In April 2015 Butler was appointed as Chair of the Council of Review of the North Carolina Democratic Party. On February 6, 2016 he was one of five people elected to the Democratic National Committee by the North Carolina Democratic Party’s State Executive Committee, making him a superdelegate. That marked the first time an out LGBT DNC member had ever been elected by the North Carolina Democratic Party.

Film and legal career

Butler's most notable film, '' A Union in Wait'' (2001), was an independent documentary film about same-sex marriage which aired on

Sundance Channel Sundance Channel can refer to: * Sundance TV, formerly known as Sundance Channel (United States). * Sundance Channel (Canada) * Sundance Channel (Netherlands) * Sundance Channel (Europe) Sundance Channel can refer to: * Sundance TV, formerly kno ...

and screened at more than 20 film festivals worldwide. It was the first documentary about same-sex marriage to air on national television in the United States. After the release of ''A Union in Wait'', Butler worked as a television editor in Washington, D.C., for ABC 7, the National Geographic Channel, and

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

. In 2008 he moved back to North Carolina, where he worked as in house counsel at

Replacements, Ltd. Replacements, Ltd., based in Greensboro, North Carolina, is the world's largest retailer of china, crystal and silverware, including both patterns still available from manufactures and discontinued patterns. The company, which began in 1981, had a ...

after working for the North Carolina General Assembly and then as an attorney in private practice.

References

External links

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Sundance Gets Religious
''Out Smart Magazine'', April 1, 2003; retrieved November 11, 2007; archived copy March 17, 2012
Coming Attractions: Features, A Consumer Guide to MFF 2001
''Baltimore City Paper'', April 25, 2001; retrieved November 11, 2007; archived copy May 31, 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Ryan Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) American documentary film directors Film directors from South Carolina Film directors from Washington, D.C. Gay politicians LGBT film directors LGBT people from South Carolina American LGBT politicians Living people People from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Politicians from Washington, D.C. University of North Carolina School of the Arts alumni Washington College of Law alumni