Hollywood A-listers call on Obama to support marriage equality
Mon. March 14, 2011 6:24 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
Los Angeles, CA -
Emmy award-winning actress Jane Lynch from Glee, Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, musician Rufus Wainwright and a number other celebrities are starting a campaign to get President Obama to clarify his stance on marriage equality.
In a letter sent to the president on Monday, celebrities and business leaders asked Obama to end discrimination in marriage.
"We ask you now for your leadership on ending the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage, an exclusion that harms millions of Americans each day. Whether to end discrimination in marriage is a question America has faced before, and faces again today," the letter says. "With so many Americans talking it through in heartfelt conversations, it is a question that calls for clarity from the President."
The letter is part of Freedom to Marry's "Say I Do" campaign and was signed by gay celebrity couples such as DeGeneres and Portia. Record executive David Geffen, Anne Hathway, Martin Sheen and Melissa Etheridge were among other A-listers lending support.
"My wife and I were married in May of 2010, and I can say without a doubt that marriage matters," Lynch said in a statement. "As President Obama continues his journey toward recognizing our right to equal taxation, protection and dignity under the law, I encourage him to listen to gay and lesbian couples and families so he can better understand how marriage equality affects us all."
Lynch married her long term partner, Dr. Lara Embry, last year.
Gay-rights advocates continue to criticize Obama for not taking a stand on the issue of gay rights. The president has not backed marriage equality, saying his attitudes toward gay marriage were "evolving."
Full letter sent to President Obama:
The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
In February, you made a powerful statement about the law.
Invoking guarantees enshrined in the Constitution, you and the Attorney General determined that federal discrimination against gay and lesbian couples in marriage is unconstitutional. Thank you for taking a principled stance and an important step toward equal protection under the law for all Americans.
Today we ask you to take the next step and join the majority of Americans who support allowing loving and committed gay and lesbian couples to legally marry.
Mr. President, marriage matters. In law, in love, in life, marriage says "we are family" in a way that nothing else does. Marriage is the coming together of two lives, marked by a public promise of love and responsibility in front of friends and family. And marriage brings not only public respect and personal significance, but also a safety net of legal protections, rights, and responsibilities for which there is no substitute.
Like so many Americans, you have spoken of your personal journey toward support for the freedom to marry. You have talked about the gay and lesbian people in your life, their commitment to each other and care for their kids, and their families that aren't so different from any other family.
We ask you now for your leadership on ending the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage, an exclusion that harms millions of Americans each day. Whether to end discrimination in marriage is a question America has faced before, and faces again today. With so many Americans talking it through in heartfelt conversations, it is a question that calls for clarity from the President.
You can offer hope to millions of young gay and lesbian Americans who are facing discrimination. You can tell them that their future is bright, that they, too, will be able to grow up and marry the person that they love, that the pursuit of happiness truly belongs to all of us. You can put government on the side of those seeking to care for their loved ones, instead of those standing in their way. You can affirm that for all of us, gay or non-gay, love is love and commitment counts— and that we Americans should treat others as we all want to be treated.
Mr. President, the time to end exclusion from marriage is now. We ask you to complete your journey and join us and the majority of Americans who support the freedom to marry.
Sincerely,
Brendon Ayanbadejo
Helen Fabela Chavez
Ellen & Portia DeGeneres
Jack Dorsey
Melissa Etheridge
Scott Fujita
David Geffen
Anne Hathaway
Chris Hughes & Sean Eldridge
Tony Kushner & Mark Harris
Jane Lynch & Lara Embry
Eric McCormack
Rev. Peter Morales
Mya Sean Parker
Mark Pincus
Frank Selvaggi & Bill Shea
Martin Sheen
Rev. William Sinkford
Lily Tomlin & Jane Wagner
Zach Wahls
Rufus Wainwright
Evan Wolfson
Bob Wright & Suzanne Wright
Julian Bond
In a letter sent to the president on Monday, celebrities and business leaders asked Obama to end discrimination in marriage.
"We ask you now for your leadership on ending the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage, an exclusion that harms millions of Americans each day. Whether to end discrimination in marriage is a question America has faced before, and faces again today," the letter says. "With so many Americans talking it through in heartfelt conversations, it is a question that calls for clarity from the President."
The letter is part of Freedom to Marry's "Say I Do" campaign and was signed by gay celebrity couples such as DeGeneres and Portia. Record executive David Geffen, Anne Hathway, Martin Sheen and Melissa Etheridge were among other A-listers lending support.
"My wife and I were married in May of 2010, and I can say without a doubt that marriage matters," Lynch said in a statement. "As President Obama continues his journey toward recognizing our right to equal taxation, protection and dignity under the law, I encourage him to listen to gay and lesbian couples and families so he can better understand how marriage equality affects us all."
Lynch married her long term partner, Dr. Lara Embry, last year.
Gay-rights advocates continue to criticize Obama for not taking a stand on the issue of gay rights. The president has not backed marriage equality, saying his attitudes toward gay marriage were "evolving."
Full letter sent to President Obama:
The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
In February, you made a powerful statement about the law.
Invoking guarantees enshrined in the Constitution, you and the Attorney General determined that federal discrimination against gay and lesbian couples in marriage is unconstitutional. Thank you for taking a principled stance and an important step toward equal protection under the law for all Americans.
Today we ask you to take the next step and join the majority of Americans who support allowing loving and committed gay and lesbian couples to legally marry.
Mr. President, marriage matters. In law, in love, in life, marriage says "we are family" in a way that nothing else does. Marriage is the coming together of two lives, marked by a public promise of love and responsibility in front of friends and family. And marriage brings not only public respect and personal significance, but also a safety net of legal protections, rights, and responsibilities for which there is no substitute.
Like so many Americans, you have spoken of your personal journey toward support for the freedom to marry. You have talked about the gay and lesbian people in your life, their commitment to each other and care for their kids, and their families that aren't so different from any other family.
We ask you now for your leadership on ending the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage, an exclusion that harms millions of Americans each day. Whether to end discrimination in marriage is a question America has faced before, and faces again today. With so many Americans talking it through in heartfelt conversations, it is a question that calls for clarity from the President.
You can offer hope to millions of young gay and lesbian Americans who are facing discrimination. You can tell them that their future is bright, that they, too, will be able to grow up and marry the person that they love, that the pursuit of happiness truly belongs to all of us. You can put government on the side of those seeking to care for their loved ones, instead of those standing in their way. You can affirm that for all of us, gay or non-gay, love is love and commitment counts— and that we Americans should treat others as we all want to be treated.
Mr. President, the time to end exclusion from marriage is now. We ask you to complete your journey and join us and the majority of Americans who support the freedom to marry.
Sincerely,
Brendon Ayanbadejo
Helen Fabela Chavez
Ellen & Portia DeGeneres
Jack Dorsey
Melissa Etheridge
Scott Fujita
David Geffen
Anne Hathaway
Chris Hughes & Sean Eldridge
Tony Kushner & Mark Harris
Jane Lynch & Lara Embry
Eric McCormack
Rev. Peter Morales
Mya Sean Parker
Mark Pincus
Frank Selvaggi & Bill Shea
Martin Sheen
Rev. William Sinkford
Lily Tomlin & Jane Wagner
Zach Wahls
Rufus Wainwright
Evan Wolfson
Bob Wright & Suzanne Wright
Julian Bond