Steven Spielberg Donates $100,000 To Gay Marriage Fight

Steven Spielberg and wife Kate Capshaw have followed Brad Pitt as the latest big-name donors to join the fight to defeat California's Proposition 8, the initiative to ban same-sex marriage. The Spielbergs have cut a $100,000 check for the fight, as did Pitt last week.

In a statement, the Spielbergs said:

"By writing discrimination into our state constitution, Proposition 8 seeks to eliminate the right of each and every citizen in our state to marry regardless of sexual orientation. Such discrimination has NO place in California's constitution, or any other."

"American Beauty" producer Bruce Cohen, who is a finance co-chair on the campaign to defeat Proposition 8, said in a statement:

"It's phenomenal that Kate and Steven are affirming their unwavering commitment to equality in such a significant a way. More than 15 years ago, Steven was the first person in Hollywood who I came out to, news which he greeted with his full love and support then and ever since. It is my fervent hope that other entertainment industry leaders will follow the lead of Brad Pitt and the Spielbergs and fight to maintain equal rights for all Californians."

Comments

[Steamboater]

Some people give in other ways that aren't financial and their contributions are very much appreciated. Comedienne Kathy Griffin is a good example, although I'm sure she's conrtibuted to the defeat of Prop 8, by her consistent standing up for gay people in her act. Hmmm...Str­eisand, Cher, Bette Midler, mostly women entertainers, Diana Ross, Liza Minelli etc, I wonder if they've contributed money to defeat Prop 8. Let's hear it for the girls!!!

[LorettaSingbiel]

What's in a word? The difference between the words "marriage" and "civil union" is LEGAL BENEFITS. There are more than 1,100 laws in which MARITAL status is a factor, and to deny gays these rights and benefits without due process is to trample upon their 14th Amendment right to EQUAL protection under the law. Our Constitution should be a shield to PROTECT us ... not a sword to PUNISH us!

The GLBT Community FINALLY have some Constitutional protections. The Right To Gainful Employment ALONE works to SILENCE the SANCTIMONIOUS STEREOTYPING that those who "practice the gay lifestyle" can NEVER be "productive members of society".

Homophobics are losing their grip on the gays ... and OPPOSING the word "marriage" is their LAST-ditch effort to CONTROL or CORRAL them back into their CLOSETS.

THANKS to fair-minded, free-thinking Americans, The GLBT Community need NO LONGER "choose" DISCRIMINATION (out of the closet), nor DISHONESTY (in the closet).

I loved you once in silence
And misery was all I knew.
Trying so to keep my love from showing,
All the while not knowing you loved me too.
Yes, loved me in lonesome silence,
Your heart filled with dark despair.
Thinking love would flame in you forever,
And I'd never, never know the flame was there.

Then one day we cast away our secret longing.
The raging tide we held inside would hold no more.

The silence at last was broken!
We flung wide our prison door.
Every joyous word of love was spoken.

[LorettaSingbiel]

"Proposition 8" is about REVERSING the legalization of Gay Marriage in California. "INCESTRAL Marriage" or "POLYGAMOUS Marriage" is off-topic. BUT ... since it keeps popping up as a credible argument against Gay Marriage ... allow me to briefly respond ...

There is a high likelihood of genetic abnormalities among offspring of incestral coupling.

If Polygamy (one man, multiple women) were to be legalized ... then why not Polyandry (one woman, multiple men)? Warren Jeffs' followers might object to a FEMALE alpha-dominant family dynamic. Although ... I would think there'd be LESS chance of Polyandry leading to incest and abuse ... than Polygamy. Of course there'd be ONLY ONE spouse with LEGAL entitlement to the benefits of "marriage" ... which may cause friction among the swingers.

Monotonous (I mean MONOGAMOUS) heterosexual marriages are no walk in the park! In fact, I would think SAME-sex marriages would have the decided advantage ... NO "men are from Mars, women are from Venus ... battles of the sexes"?!

Define "man" and "woman". Define "interracial". Does/Did the LEGALITY depend on male gonads & female genitalia ... or skin pigmentation?

Explain why the MOST deserving SAME-gender couple DOESN'T deserve Community support ... and the LEAST deserving OPPOSITE-gender couple DOES.

Homophobics are WELL AWARE of the FACT that homosexuality is a NATURAL variant of the human (and animal) species. However ... they "choose" to VIEW it as a "lifestyle" ... a "choice". So then ... do they insist the "choice" be CELIBACY? NOT a viable option ...

[GilDC]

Former Mormon, Bruce Bastian gave $1 Million to fight prop 8. He should be recognized here, along side Pitt and Spielberg. http://www.towleroad.com/2008/09/former-mormon-b.html

[crossoverwriter]

EEK! Speilberg's looking more and more like ET.

[LiberalDemIda]

Wow. Real substantive comment there, crossoverwriter.

Obama/Biden '08/'12 = the SMART People's Choice!

[biggurl]

hahhaha!! you are so right! That is very funny - off topic but - made me laugh!

[Triangle1]

It's good to see straight people taking a lead on gay marriage. After all, when you're in the gay minority, every gay person in the world could be for gay marriage and it would be blocked by the straight majority. Therefore, the only way to give all tax paying Americans the same rights, it's at the mercy of straight culture. Judging from the 50-60% divorce rate, marriage doesn't seem steeped in strict Puritan rules these days. http://mespace.wordpress.com

[Steamboater]

What's particularly galling about those straights who are against Gay marriage is that they use the excuse that Gays would have special rights when it's they who have them. All we want are the same rights that they have.

[LorettaSingbiel]

"It's good to see straight people taking a lead on gay marriage."

And as MORE & MORE of us straight free-thinking, fair-minded americans STAND UP ... the hateful homophobics must STAND DOWN!!!

LEGALIZE GAY MARRIAGE!!! (Why shouldn't they be allowed to be as miserable as the rest of us!)

Stay safe, healthy and happy,
Love, Loretta

[STILLPISSED]

Angry_expa­t.....

Expat? Ex -patriot? That would make sense to me. You sir,or madam need to educate YOURSELF.
Just like wars and other controversies, Religion somehow rears it's ugly head into the mess.

So shut-up and sit down. If people want to be with each other THEN LET THEM BE!!!!!

Live and let live. You are a narrow minded individual. You probably think you can gets AIDS from a mosquito too.

[Phineus]

I knew a gay couple once those dudes would get drunk and beat the absolute living crap out of eachother about once a month then need someone to bail them out of jail..

[applespider]

I once knew a straight couple who did the same thing! Whoa.

I think we should ban straight marriage.

We can start with mine...

[LiberalBuzz]

I read about a straight couple where the husband shot and killed his wife.

Time to ban straight marriage to protect women, eh?

[Eric8869]

OJ Simpson isn't gay

[GuyFawkes]

The majority of funding for Prop. 8 here in California is being financed by Mormons in Utah. The NY Times reported this over the weekend. These big donations are an attempt to counteract that, as the pro 8 group is about a $1 million ahead in fundraising.

[realityczech4u]

Out-of-state contributions should be illegal just as foreign contributions are illegal in national elections. There is no legitimate right to influence elections in any state but your own.

[LiberalBuzz]

Not true; actually there is a legitimate concern towards outcomes in other states, ALTHOUGH I do agree that religious nutjob outfits like the Mormons (magic underwear anyone?) should not be able to influence Constitutional outcomes because THEY don't like how it disagrees with their religion.

Fine line there, but I agree in principle with you..It's like the Vatican sending money.

I contribute to Al Franken and another democratic senator candidate and I live in California. THEIR outcome is very important to the U.S.

[Treehuggindirtworshiper]

Ok people lets get something straight. Marrying a relative doesn't cause birth defects. It consentrates the defective genes therefore any abnormallity is more likely to show up. It's not against the law to marry a relative in every state. I'm sure the morons will love to reply about that.

[truthFORauthorityNOTaft]

I think this is great! I am straight, but I think the right to marry who you love is a basic one.

More heterosexual people should understand that gay marriage isn't just a foreign concept but that it also affects us! A more free and just society will benefit all of us, like it has with the countries that have legalized gay marriage. It is no coincidence that countries like Norway and Belgium (where gay marriage is legal) are champions of human rights!

I can't afford to donate, but I urge others like myself to at least dedicate time to activism!

[angry expat]

You, my friend, need to educate yourself so as not to be influenced by lies and flawed arguments.

If enough brothers and sisters wanted to get married and assembled to demonstrate that the way they live is not only not harmful to society but can be beneficial in providing more stable, loving homes for children in need (seen the statistics on the foster care system lately?), and if the psychiatric community had thoroughly cleared incestuous relations of the label of "deviant" or "unhealthy" behaviour, then maybe I would consider your argument.

However, that is not the case! So if your friend was able to sway you with such a weak point then you need to go and read a few books on the history of gay rights and recent literature by the psychiatric community so you'll be able to de-bunk your friend's ridiculous positions when the subject next arises.

Anyway, marriage was co-opted by the church in order to serve its own agenda. Once upon a time people could simply conduct their own ceremonies and that was it. FURTHERMORE polygamy has often historically been used to keep men in a dominant social position..­. As if a man can satisfy more than one woman!

Education is the key.

[LiberalBuzz]

Expat your argument carries no water at all. It is akin to the lame arguments about dogs, marrying children etc.

There has been NO attempt by brothers and sisters and the very idea just has never happened except in maybe a few dozen cases vs the MILLIONS of gays who would love to marrying the person they love for all the exact same reasons straight people do.

[LadyAurora]

To Flyers: The reason why brothers and sisters don't marry is because of genetics. They share way too much DNA. Any responsible breeder of animals (dogs, cats, horses, etc.) would never breed a brother and sister, mother and son, father and daughter because of the very same reason. The Pharoh's in Egypy used to intermarry, i.e. brother to sister, and that eventually destroyed them genetically.

As to polygamay - as long as it's too consenting adults and no one is being forced or hurt in any way - I say go for it.

[Treehuggindirtworshiper]

To LadyAurora:

In the United States the reason we don't marry reletives is because of Queen Victoria. She insited on intermarriage to keep the blood lines pure. Little did she know that she was a carrier of the gene that causes hemophillia. To make a long story short she caused the near extinction of her family due to passing on this disease. So it isn't all about DNA it's about defective DNA.

[Jellybelly]

What's going to become of the Amish? How many new members do they allow in each year?

[Pulemerci]

How about donating $100,000 for families of police officers or soldiers killed in the line of duty Steven?

[HollywoodBill]

Maybe the Catholic Church should stick to its original intent of helping the unfortunate. The Knights of Columbus donated $1,275,000 to help in passing Prop 8.

The hate filled Dobson's Focus on the Family, instead of aiding killed policemen's families who might need assistance chose to donate $412,246 for passing Prop 8.

Quit your whining and forcing your morality onto everyone else. The religious groups have gone beyond the pale in this election and deserve to lose in the name of the Lord.

[Treehuggindirtworshiper]

Please quit bashing religion. Not all faiths shun gays and lesbians. I for one am a member of the Episcopal Church USA. Not every Episcopal Church is welcoming but mine is. Integrity is a group within the Episcopal Church. It was started to give Gay, Lesbian and Transgender persons a voice for full inclusion to the sacaramental rites of the church.

www.integrityusa.org/

[bogues]

Steven Spielberg is a charitable man and has donated to many different causes. How do you know that he has not donated to Police Officers or Soldiers?

[Pulemerci]

I don't know. Do you?

[pumpkin]

Steven Spielberg gave 1.5 mil. each to tsunami relief and Katrina relief. Is that good enough for you, or are you trying to make some kind of a specific point?

[Eric8869]

Because the partner of a slain gay police officer can NOT get the survivor benefits due to the lack of marriage rights. etc etc and so on. Give me a break and educate yourself on the subject.

[Blueline]

He just did. http://www.tampabaycoalition.com/Lois.html

[flyers]

I would ask anyone who supports gay marriage, do you support brothers and sisters getting married? Do you support polygamy? I support gay marriage, but one of my friends kinda got me on that one, as they said, "Why should a brother and sister be restricted from getting married if they want to?" He also said, "Whether you find a brother & sister getting married revolting, or a man marrying 5 women at once in Utah strange, who are we judge anyone as that is the main argument gay people used to get the gay marriage act passed?" So shouldn't we be for ANYONE open to getting married, even if it incestial since we are not to judge on what is right and wrong behavior in society?

[Bitsko]

Grow up.

[Pupadup4oBama]

Well said!

[Steamboater]

Where's Rosie too you may ask but she and other Gay and Lesbians don't have to make a public announcement. We know where they stand. Who's next on the publicity bandwagon? Lindsey Lohan? Better to contribute though to fight Prop 8 than not. What scares me, as reported earlier, are blacks voting en mass for Obama and then taking his side and voting for Prop 8. If that happens and Prop 8 wins we can thank Obama for it. After all, if the democratic presidential candidate is against Gay marriage, it gives the black community, which isn't exactly pro-gay rights and never has been, a perfect excuse to vote for Prop 8 and come out after voting feeling clean. Civil unions are NOT marriage and do not give the same rights as marriage. Gay marriage will only come about across the board in this country on a federal level with someone in the White House with the courage to fight for it. We'll never get it with Obama or Clinton. I don't want crumbs; I want the whole pie!

[somsoc]

Time is healing even the worst bigots, give it a little more time.

[Steamboater]

We hear this time and again and in the end I suppose this is the way it runs but I'm 64. I want to see equal rights for us now, in my lifetime. We've come very far though since the Stonewall riot and never could I have imagined the issue in a presidential campaign or someone like Barney Frank elected. So I wait but always think, if not now, when?

[progressivepam]

There needs to be ads targeting the black community that say: "There was a time in America when the laws of the land did not allow for African Americans to marry..." The fight against discrimination goes on!

[bogues]

Blacks vote Democrat because that is the Party that has worked the hardest to get them equal rights in this country. When you mention that they are voting en masse for Obama, you seem to forget or never knew that they vote Democrat all the time, it just so happens that their candidate this year has the same skin tone as they do.

[Steamboater]

I wasn't talking about black civil rights. This is an issue of GAY rights. That many blacks continue to be against Gay rights is shameful The bible was once used against them to keep them in slavery and now many are willing to keep us enslaved to homophobia using the same biblical 'reasoning'. It's shameful. I just hope most will vote no on Prop 8.