Ellen Weighs in on Gay Marriage Ban
I knew the results of Preposition 8 were going to hurt daytime talk show host, Ellen Degeneres, so I wasn’t surprised when she put a video up on her official site about it.
The comedienne, who was recently married to her partner, Portia De Rossi, was “saddened beyond belief” to learn that 52% of Californians voted in support of banning gay marriage.
She said: “This morning, when it was clear that Proposition 8 had passed in California, I can’t explain the feeling I had. I was saddened beyond belief. Here we just had a giant step toward equality [with the election of Barack Obama] and then on the very next day, we took a giant step away… I believe one day a ‘ban on gay marriage’ will sound totally ridiculous. In the meantime, I will continue to speak out for equality for all of us.”
Thirty states have enacted bans on same-sex marriage now and Arkansas is on its’ way to preventing gay men and lesbians from adopting children.
I have to say that I am surprised and saddened by these results. I feel it has taken away from the mass victory the nation celebrated with the election of Obama. I feel like there should be a way to give equal rights to all humans without compromising some of our core beliefs. What do you think?
Dear Ellen:
I hope this e-mail gets to you.
I am a long time fan of your program which I believe started back in late 2003. I think I actually saw your first show around the time that the the Tony Danza Show went off the air.
Well, whatever, I am still here, today, watching you, here in Gatineau (Hull, sector) Quebec, Canada with a one day delay.
I am writing you today regarding my VIEW on same sex marriages.
I support the recognition of the legal union of same sex couples, but I am against the term “same sex marriages”. The use of another word or expression to better define this union of same sex couple would be more appropriate.
This raises the question: “How can the existance of same sex marriages affect your marriage status???
My answer is : If I were to say to a stranger that I, WAS ONCE MARRIED, or AM MARRIED, or WILL BE GETTING MARRIED, I feel I should or must qualify this statement with, it WAS, IS, WILL BE, with a woman or a man.
Furtheremore when the children speak of their parents, will the same clarification be required?
Maybe the same clarification will be required on forms to be filled with the section on the identification of your CIVIL or MARITAL status.
When women were fighting for equal rights to men they did not want to be called or associated, indentified as men.
When the black people were fighting to obtain equality treatement to whites, they also did not want to be associated or called whites.
Therefore, why would GAYS and LESBIANS, who are fighting for the same rights as married heterosexuals, want to be called “married”. This is the word that is used for the union of a woman and a man, which is far from the union of same sex persons.
Why not use a different word or expression that would without a doubt indentify this UNION as being that of same sex persons.
For instance:
1) We are (legally) unioned (new word)
2) We are (legally) united
3) We are (legally) joined
4) We are (legally) coupled
5) Whatever is most appropriate but different than “married”.
That is my point of view.
I leave you with my friendly salutations and sincere gratitude for the entertaining and informative content of your program.
Yours Sincerely,
Robert