In case anyone missed the news on Tuesday, the California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that passed in November that revoked the right for gay couples to marry in the state. However, even though the Supreme Court upheld Prop 8, they also ruled that all of the gay couples who had married before the election would be remain legally married. Which is a very strange legal argument, and I’m not any kind of lawyer. The court is basically saying that they’ll uphold the will of the majority with the passage of Prop 8, but no harm, no foul on the thousands of married gay couples.
After Prop 8 was passed in November, many celebrities spoke out about gay marriage rights. People like Tom Hanks, Ellen Degeneres (who married Portia de Rossi before Prop 8’s passage) and Chris Evans (amongst many, many others) all spoke out, most likely in the hopes of influencing not only popular opinion about gay marriage, but to also influence the California political establishment. Now that the CA Supreme Court upheld the majority of Prop 8, we have a line of celebrities coming out again. Ellen DeGeneres, Lance Bass, and Melissa Etheridge were among the first gay celebrities to speak out:
“The decision to uphold Prop 8 is deeply disappointing,” former *NSYNC band member Lance Bass wrote in a statement to Access Hollywood. “I can only hope to one day live in a country that grants equal rights, opportunity, and freedom to all citizens.”
“I’m sure you heard the Prop 8 news. One day when everyone is treated with full equality, we’ll look back and realize how wrong this was,” Ellen DeGeneres said in a statement to Access.
Melissa Etheridge, who has been very vocal about the passing of Prop 8, also released a statement to Access over the ruling.
“So, will anyone be sleeping better tonight? Those full of hate and fear will surely be disappointed that 18,000 same sex couples will be living in wedded bliss, kissing their spouses goodnight, checking off those little ‘married’ boxes on all those forms we fill out nowadays. That’s really going to drive them crazy,” Melissa said in her statement.
Melissa, who planned to legally marry her longtime partner, actress Tammy Lynn Michaels, said the ruling was tough on her family.
[From Access Hollywood]
Also speaking out after the Supreme Court ruling was Elton John, who told a Canadian television show that the ruling was “just awful… California is supposed to be a progressive state [and] it just defies logic to me, and I’m very disappointed with that.”
George Takei, star of Star Trek and one of the thousands of gay Californians to marry before Prop 8’s passage, also spoke out (to TV Guide), saying: “They decided to be indecisive… It was a ruling that doesn’t resolve anything because there is still inequality. It’s like [George Orwell’s Animal Farm] — some pigs are more equal than other pigs. We’re more equal than some of the other gays and lesbians. This Supreme Court, which only 12 months ago — last year in May — ruled that it is a fundamental constitutional right that marriage equality extend to gays and lesbians, did a flip-flop. This so-called ruling by the California Supreme Court will ultimately be condemned by history. [It] is going to be the same song and dance over again, but by that time, I think the vote will have changed and we will prevail.”
I’m sure in the days to come, more celebrities will be speaking out on this issue. My guess, and the guess of many who watch California politics, is that a measure in some form repealing Prop 8 will be put on the ballot for California’s 2010 election, and the California gay community will pour millions of dollars into a huge ad campaign to win their marriage rights. It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.
Here are photos of celebrities marching against Prop 8 yesterday including Drew Barrymore, Pete Wentz, Emmy Rossum, Sophia Bush, Eliza Dushku, Kathy Griffin, Luke Worrall, Kelly Osbourne, Perez Hilton, Shanna Moakler, Lance Bass, Haylie Duff and Emmy Rossum. Credit: WENN.com. Photos of Drew Barrymore credit: Fame Pictures
The supporters of gay marriage really need to start now to get an initiative on the next ballot. Those who don’t support it will do everything they can to stop anything else being put on a ballot.
I’ll be happy when everyone has equal rights. Really, whom does it hurt to let gays marry? Jesus preached that we should love one another, and God said in the Bible that we are not to be judged, lest we ourselves be judged. Anyone who is against gay marriage for Christian religious reasons, I would hope would educate themselves further on what it really means to not judge others, and to let God have His say.
How cool is Maggie Griffin’s (Kathy’s mom) sign: Gay Marriage, I’ll Drink to That! All she needed was a little box of wine to go with it…
Maybe if “marriage” is such a religious term it shouldn’t be up to the state at all to recognize marriage. Rather than give everyone the right to marry just make all state recognized unions civil unions. Let churches “marry” people as your promise to God to remain faithful to each other (which barely holds any meaning anymore) but otherwise you must have a “contract” with the state to show you are sharing property and making life decisions together. Marriage is just a word, and EVERYONE, homo or hetero, needs to get past it.
Jen, I’ll agree to that if the civil unions protect the 1,600 – I think it is – rights that marriages have that civil unions don’t. Then the people who have a problem with the word “marriage” can go to their local churches to be married after getting a civil union downtown. lol
” …the Supreme Court upheld Prop 8, they also ruled that all of the gay couples who had married before the election would be remain legally married.”
Ground has been gained…
Absolutely ridiculous. Let gay people marry, what is the big deal?? Religious freaks are some of the most creepy, hateful people around. How apropo is that? They always have to target a group that isn’t harming anyone to make themselves FEEL (not be) superior. Only now it is backfiring. People are taking the sides of gay people. In a couple years, they will be able to have equal rights and the dinosaur religious nuts will look very hateful and shameful !!
Kathy’s mom is adorable
Love Kathy’s mom. She’s a conservative, you know. Anyhow, the fact that the previously married couples will retain their status says it all. It’s only a matter of time. I’m from S.F. and am so disappointed that we’re behind Iowa on these rights! Shame on us, California!
I’ll say it once and i’ll say it again MOVE OUT OF CALIFORNIA!!!if all gays and lesbians move out of California and move to states that allow same sex marriages imagine how much tax revenue CA will lose.If a law passed in my area that says we dont want white bald men to marry eventho thats where i was born and raised i would get the f*ck out!
@ Jen; you make a good point. I know the biggest issue for my friends who have fought for marriage equality is that without a state-sanctioned acknowledgment, they have no rights in terms of health insurance, property, custody etc. They do not enjoy the same entitlements that i and my husband are and I feel like that is beyond unfair.
@ Jag: I respect your comment and perspective. I’m heartened to hear kindnesses and open minds!
Do you realize how implausible it sounds to tell a huge group of people “Just move out of CA”?
You can’t just run away from your problems, you have to stand and fight. Can you imagine what this country would be like if African Americans just “moved out of a place that was against them”? Or Latino Americans? Or Asian Americans?
Hun, there are always going to be people who are against you, and I’ll be damned if I’m running from such bigots.
What a lot of Christians won’t say (and I say this as a former fundamentalist whose father is still a pastor in the foursquare denomination) is that they feel gay marriage would be an affront to God that would take away his magical curtain of blessing that he’s supposedly extended over this country. The nutsos actually believe that we’re not a third world country ’cause we believe in Jebus. Its delusional, but I’m telling you, that’s a lot of it. They think God will turn his wrath on this country if we allow gay marriage.
That, and they haven’t figured out that two people WHO AREN’T THEM getting married poses no threat to their place in heaven.
You know, !, what always comes to my mind is the fact that countries that express “liberal values” are the most successful and the majority of their citizens enjoy a higher standard of living.
The last time Europe was ruled by the Church they called it the Dark Ages. For a reason.
There’s no underestimating the value of separation of church and state. Long may it live. But there will always be a fight, and like Annie said, we must stand united against those who would oblige entire populations to adopt their superstitions and phobias.
Yeah, too bad no one with any real political power showed up.
I can’t believe this is really an issue. People can love and marry ( and be miserable ) with anybody they want. What’s the harm? Don’t we have other more important problems in this society to tackle? Who cares if someone is gay or straight? I don’t even like to lable people that way. Sexual orientation of a person is a very private matter not open for a public vote !!!
@Annie.a large section of African Americans did move out of the south and went north to try and find jobs.
most of them went to Chicago and New York.(circa late 1800 early 1900)
Economics rule!Sad but true!they only way California will learn is if there’s a mouvement to get out of the state.hundreds of millions will be lost and with the economics situation they cant afford to loose that amount of money.Only then the law will be turn around.you don’t get nothing done carrying placarts in the streets anymore.