George Clooney Slams Prop 8

George Clooney has spoken out to E!'s Ted Casablancas about the passage of Proposition 8, banning gay marriage in California:

"At some point in our lifetime, gay marriage won't be an issue, and everyone who stood against this civil right will look as outdated as George Wallace standing on the school steps keeping James Hood from entering the University of Alabama because he was black."

Clooney joins a growing list of stars speaking out including Melissa Etheridge, Harvey Fierstein, Ellen Degeneres and more. Drew Barrymore and James Franco also joined a crowd rallying against its passage.

Comments

[AmandaBC]

Fill out this form and mail it to the IRS:

http://www.centerlb.org/links/prop-8/Action_Against_LDS_Church.pdf

As a Canadian national living in Canada, I don't think I'm entitled to do that, but you guys should bury the IRS with millions of these forms. And please, spread the voice!

[senioradvocate]

Thank you ... I googled the form, and it's legit ... I've sent it to my email list ...
My husband and I have been together for 26 years and were married two weeks ago ...
It was a totally joyous occasion that included family from Iowa, friends from Pennsylvania and Arizona ... married by the minister of my church ...
WE ARE MARRIED AND NO ONE WILL EVER TAKE THAT AWAY!!!
LET NO CHURCH TEAR THIS UNION ASUNDER!!!

[sonshine]

With due respect Amanda, it helps if you explain and add the link.

[AmandaBC]

Read the form, it's not just an empty one.

[sclucie]

It' not just the LDS church - I'm sorry - but that's just an easy target. If you want to do petitions - do them - but they way they are being flogged by Prop 8 opponents is bigoted. Follow the money: Knights of Columbus National), $1,400,000; Howard Ahmanson, (Conservative Christian) $1,150,000; John Templeton, (Conservative Christian) $1,100,000;
National Organization for Marriage (Maggie Gallagher, Catholic, President) $1,100,000
Elsa Prince (Blackwater, Conservative Christian), $650,000; Fieldstead & Company (Ahmanson Company), $600,000; Terry Caster Family (Catholic, California)) $693,000. As many people in Salt Lake City gave money opposing Prop 8 as gave supporting Prop 8.

Look up the California Catholic Council - it represents all the bishops - and read their statements.

[pooh2u]

amadabc ad what is your logic in this, if you are not an american?

[fifewolf]

Where were all these folks weeks ago?
I fear that the No on 8 Campaign lost primarily because it was badly run. The message was all over the place. They ran tons of different ads with no cohesive theme. whereas the Yes on 8 people clearly poll-tested a message that what scared people the most was the teaching of gay marriage to young children. Virtually every ad they ran was about teaching gay marriage to children, they had an image of a little blond girl looking sad and scared. What was the message of the No on 8 campaign? We won't teach gay marriage in schools? It's discrimination. Japanese internment camps? There was even one ridiculous ad where a slimy guy acting the part of Yes on 8 was inappropriately hitting on a woman who was playing the State Constitution and she was being defended by a nice guy who was playing No on 8. Not kidding, if you didn't see the ad - it was amazing and awful. I think they also didn't do their homework on messages for the African American community who voted in record numbers. Because of the size of the population in CA -- TV is really important because getting adequate voter contact on a ballot measure means talking to millions of people -- most ballot measures can't manage that level of voter id's and contact.

[sclucie]

I hope that Prop 8 is overturned in the courts and I hope that people who want to be together and grow old together can do that. But all of this has the feeling of a right-wing fundamentalist rally. Who should we attack? The black? NO! The socialists! YES The domestic terrorists! Yes! The Mormons! Everyone hates the Mormons and besides, I don't know any.

The Cahtolics and the Evangelicals did as much - if not more to pass this through than the Mormons - but I don't see protests outside Catholic churches. Why is that? Follow the money. The Knights of Columbus gave almost $2 million alone. There is no legitimate source for the $20 million dollar figure that is flogged around about Mormons - and as I add up the money from the Catholics, the Evangelicals - and Orange County - it is impossible.

The law should be overturned - and I have great hopes that it will be. Does the gay rights movement have to turn into a fundamentalist group with Lee Atwater ads to make that happen? The Home Invasion Ad was revolting.

[sclucie]

Fife - I am out of California - although I'm related to about 100 people there, including married gays with children. I agree. I did not look at ads until the election was over - and I have never seen such badly produced ads in my life. Was the entire campaign on meth? Have they ever heard of focus groups? They defeated themselves. I've never been homophobic in my life, gay families come to family reunions, I could care less who gets married - in fact I care more about gay people getting that chance than straight people - but those ads were like something Lee Atwater would have drreamed up. Is demonizing another human being the goal? I thought that's what fundamentalists did.

[DogTown]

NO ON H8

[Tyrione]

Dissolve all Civil Marriages. Restore all unions as Civil unions. Leave Marriage up to the religion, society, ritual of one's private worship.

Remove the State [other than asset accumulation and community property laws] from Marriage.

Level the playing field and let one's Religion acknowledge the Wedding Vows. Restructure the IRS Tax Code to all filers classified as Civil Union Independent or Civil Union Dependent if with Children.

Tax cleanly across the board and give no undue benefits to Joint Unions, unless juvenile dependents are included.

End of story.

[MirrorImage]

Well said !!

Marriage is not copyrighted by the US Government or the "church." Make the "legal unions" just that - and the term "marriage" can come from yourself or your minister..­.but just a social known name..not a "legal" one.

[liberaldemdave]

i have been saying this since the whole "gay marriage" tempest started (and i'm in a M/M, 16-year monogamous relationship). i'm also a devout Christian. i'm also a devout liberal democrat (that doesn't need to hide behind the "new" term "progressive").

"we" can't and never will win this argument as long as church and state are allowed to intermingle (in this case, "marriage").

complete separation of church and state. period. end of discussion.

[LindaFS]

Exactly my sentiments. Marriage began as a system of handling property rights, not a religious "blessing". This whole situation could be solved so easily by taking religion out of the "unions" required by the federal or state governments. Everyone has to get a civil union, hetero or homo. And we could repair our taxation system at the same time. Then, if you also want to get "married", you can do that in your church. (There are plenty of churches who will marry gays.) This seems so simple to me.

[ajr08]

Well said. My thoughts too. Provide equality under the law, and let one's religion determine what is permissible behavior to be a member.

I really wish more people would see this as the civil rights issue it is, especially those who were on the short end of that not so long ago. I just don't understand that.

[orangepetal]

This seems like a perfect solution.

[flabingo]

Thank you George. This setback will be reversed for the right reason. God Bless America.
The Mormon church exposed themselves. Thank you Mormons for being true to your beliefs

[movingforequalrights]

the mormon church had nothing to do with this prop passing. they didn't contribute any money to ad campaigns, they didn't put forth any media information. they did nothing but preach within their church about what the bible has to say. that is their right as it is a private institution. for your information, people who voted for Obama actually voted in higher numbers for prop 8. they are the ones who passed this proposition, not the mormons.

[AmandaBC]

http://www.centerlb.org/links/prop-8/Action_Against_LDS_Church.pdf

[lovethesinner]

The Mormon Church put 20 million dollars into advertising like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kKn5LNhNto&feature=related

And you're completely wrong about Obama voters:
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/11/prop-8-myths.html

And just so you know, the Mormon Church has been demonizing everyone for nearly a century or more. That's how UTAH came to be. They were thrown out of every state in the union:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah#History

[AmandaBC]

Please, don't let simple **FACTS** get in the way of your religious bigotry:

http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid64163.asp

[RealityBeatsDenial]

Had nothing to do with it, you say? ..........

http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=6238226&page=1

"Groups are focusing on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints because its members poured in tens of millions of dollars to defeat gay marriage in California­."

"Mormon leadership ... sent a letter calling for the preservation of what it called traditional marriage and families, to be read aloud in every Mormon congregation in California. .....
'We ask that you do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time to assure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man and a woman.' "

.... "Critics charge Mormons with hypocrisy, given their troubled history with polygamy."

[KieranSD]

Blatant liar. The Mormons listened to their grand poopoo and poured millions and millions of dollars into the "Yes" campaign. They were ordered to do so. Mormons also live in my neighborhood in San Diego and went door to door scaring people into supporting their mission, dragging their multitude of little fresh-scrubbed, blond-headed children along with them to beg people not to let schools teach children about gay people. (Another lie...it wasn't on the table!)

[DannyEastVillage]

Thanks for the words, George Clooney.

[miriada]

I agree. Gays were not enslaved, sold like animals and made to work on plantations. There's no comparison. People spoke their mind and heart - so please accept it peacefully. Access to the media and all the money in the world and to the schools to recruit new soldiers will not help you. Or you want the empire to fall? Does history teach you anything? Gosh...

[DannyEastVillage]

no. instead of being enslaved for being gay, we've been imprisoned, tortured, mutilated and burnt at the stake. I guess, Miriada, you think that's okay? There are plenty of "religionists" out there who would gladly continue it, just as there are still plenty of Klansmen out there--some in white, some not.

you, Miriada, are a throw-back. Time to change that--start accepting that gay people are PEOPLE--just like--YOU.

[pooh2u]

DannyEV, they are not just like Miriada, as each person in this life is completely different, there are no two people alike or that even think a like 100% of the time

[TroubleNYC]

So the fall of every empire is the fault of "the gays"? lol

If only the Ottomans have known!

[KieranSD]

Ignoring history? How many gays were forced to be eunichs? How many gays were sent to concentration camps by the Nazis? Matthew Shepherd? And hundreds and hundreds of other documented cases in the 20th century of gays being murdered for, shocking, being gay. How many gay Iraqis were executed by al-Qaeda in Iraq and other extremists? How many gay Eqyptians have been killed or imprisoned? It goes on every day in the modern world.

[TrueThis]

How many millions did the Mormon give to make sure Propostion 8 pass? 25

[movingforequalrights]

that would be zero dollars and zero cents. look it up

[JDJase]

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_10842051

its not 25 million, but its not zero either.

[TrueThis]

Oh...I'm sorry, it was $22.8 million. Forgive me but I like to read:

http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid64163.asp

[adv2int]

Posting on Huffpo about this issue is not going to persuade those that voted for Prop 8

Let's get out and do something about it

[rini]

Yeah, but it motivates the base. It's not all bad.

Of course, you gotta do more.

[BandsofBlack]

Lots of protests across the country on Nov. 15th.

http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/?t=anon

[AmandaBC]

This battle will be won in court. Support the lawyers working for social progress.

[Ohg]

My eighty-five year old mother in the rural midwest applied some simple common sense and a basic understanding of our democracy to the issue of gay marriage. She hit it on the head - marriage is private. ..........­...

http://thefiresidepost.com/2008/11/02/old-women-talk-politics/

[Topfeeder]

In every California Mormon Church during the service before the election a letter from the LDS was read to the congregation that implored every Mormon in attendance to participate in the passing of Prop 8, whether by monetary contribution or active campaigning. Why is this not grounds for abolishing their tax-exempt status? We must press this issue with our legislators. When it becomes too financially risky for them to continue this social and cultural




















genecide, maybe just maybe, they will stop.

[movingforequalrights]

are you a member of the Mormon church? were you witness to this reading? it sounds like a rumor and not a very good one at that.

[AmandaBC]

Please, don't let simple **FACTS** get in the way of your religious bigotry:

http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid64163.asp

[RealityBeatsDenial]

http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=6238226&page=1

"Mormon leadership ... sent a letter calling for the preservation of what it called traditional marriage and families, to be read aloud in every Mormon congregation in California. .....
'We ask that you do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time to assure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man and a woman.' "

[wijg]

Mormons Resigning Despite Strong Heritage, Citing 'Hatred' by LDS Church

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/11/12/104649/90/284/659767

[pooh2u]

FYI, the churches also preached against voting for those that are pro abortion, It didn't get them anywhere, as dem and rep a like were voted in over those that were for pro life. Just proves how mixed up this society is beginning to become

[anastasiabeaverhousen]

8 will be thrown out by the courts. Gloria Allred is all over this one right now.

[hilaritee]

i hope you are right and i wish i shared your confidence

[anastasiabeaverhousen]

Gloria doesn't take kindly to losing!!!!

[DannyEastVillage]

actually, yeh. I think it likely.

[sclucie]

I think so too.

[bill76]

Live and let live folks.

[TuneOutTheMedia]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f8YE3YtAUU

Homosexuality is not a choice.

Nor is it a deficiency. The only deficiency associated with this topic is the discrimination against a gay or lesbian person simply for being who they are.

I am a man; I didn't choose to be a man.

I am straight; I didn't choose to be straight.

My wife is a woman; she didn't choose to be a woman.
My friend Joshua is black; she didn't choose to be black.
My friend Ting-Ting is Asian; she didn't choose to be Asian.
My friend Steve is Hispanic; he didn't choose to be Hispanic.

And my sister Lisa is a lesbian. She didn't choose to be a lesbian.

She did choose to build a life together with Eileen and to have a baby together. They did choose, after nineteen years, to marry last month – exercising the same equal right my wife and I were afforded nineteen years ago.

And their family is as loving as is my family. Their foundation is as stable as is my families. Their child is as exceptional as are my children. Their contribution to society is as valuable as is my families.

Their marriage does not impact nor diminish nor subtract from my marriage in any way.

It's a travesty that the passage of Proposition 8 has stripped their equal rights away.

It's not right. It's not fair. It's not American.

Please share this video and message with your family and friends.

[Damaven]

Well, good night all you happy bloggers, let's chat tomorrow.