George Clooney has issued a statement on the passing of Prop 8 in California, which bans same sex marriages which were made legal in the state by their supreme court in May of this year. While the fate of people already married still remains in question, California’s attorney general did issue a statement to The View in which he said he would work to uphold existing same-sex marriages, even if future unions are currently barred. Perpetual bachelor Clooney makes it clear that he’s against the amendment to the state constitution and thinks it’s an antiquated law that we’ll look back on as a sad chapter in our nation’s history, like segregation:
“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point in our lifetime, gay marriage won’t be an issue, and everyone who stood against this civil right will look as outdated as George Wallace standing on the school steps keeping James Hood from entering the University of Alabama because he was black.”
[From E! Online]
Some people say you can’t compare the civil rights movement with the gay right’s movement and that they’re different. I think Clooney is right though that we’ll reach a point where gay rights become part of the fabric of our society and aren’t so heavily questioned and debated. People will some day take it for granted that it is everyone’s right to marry. It just makes me wonder why it’s taking so long and how California had this essential right for same sex couples stripped after such a hard fought battle.
George Clooney is shown out with his new mustache, which is for a role, in LA on 11/11/08. Credit: WENN
Clooney is a fool. Last time I checked, gays weren’t forced to drink from differnt water fountains, forced to sit at the back of the bus, or lumped together in one school because of their sexual orientation.
Besides…it was black people in California who were overwhelmingly AGAINST Prop 8, and they resent all these attempts to equate their struggle with what thei ancestors had to go through.
It’s the word “marriage” that people object to…no one said gays couldn’t have partnerships and live together, enjoying the same benefits of married couples. Gays have to right to redefine a term that has meant that same thing for thousands of years!!
Comparing the civil rights movement to gay rights seems a little far fetched. Any man can marry a woman and any woman a man and we all have that right. It is not the same as a black person not being able to drink, be educated, seated, or married to whites, or many of the other countless things. I have been back and forth myself on the use of the word “marriage” for a gay union since I have traditionally thought of “marriage” as between a man and a woman, and I myself am religious. I am definately for civil unions, and gay people being in a committed relationship with one another. Although, I have to agree that with divorce the way it is “marriage” is hardly sacred to many the way it should be. Also, I have to agree with what many others have said in the past that gay unions do NOT make my marriage any less than what they are. I am still wishy washy on all of this though. I wish I could be more firm. I must say though that Jesus was about loving your neighbor as yourself and would not be happy with all of the gay bashing that goes on in the name of God.
These changes take time. One can’t compare 30-odd years of “we’re here we’re queer get used to it” to 300-plus years of bondage and the negation of status as a human being.
Not being allowed to marry cannot be compared to not being allowed to get a drink of water, eat in restaurants, sleep in hotels, ride transit, pursue an education along with broader society simply because of the colour of one’s skin – which is always evident. Gays can ‘pass’ as straight, Jews can ‘pass’ as Gentiles and the latter have done so for years by changing their surnames. I think to compare the gay marriage issue to the suffering and disenfranchisement of Black people in the U.S. is at best, insensitive.
As a matter of fact, isn’t interracial marriage/relations still on the books as illegal in some states or has that insanity finally been obliterated?
Actually that’s true. I was once listening to Santorum, that dumbass, gay sex scandle waiting to happen, politician, (mind you this was like four years ago) and he was using the very same exact arguement as to why homosexuality is wrong as the “whites” used back pre-civil rights era. I know this as fact as soon afterwards there was a program on the History Channel about slavery, ect and it was basically word for word with only “black” being substittuted (sp? is tht even a word?) with homosexual.
p.s. ….I’m always in moderation.
Well, maybe Clooney’s comments were a bit heavy handed, but I think gay rights are one of the major civil rights movements today, and of the past 30 years.
Teh gayz shall overcome!
Clooney is right. As far as persecution and history go gay men and women have had to hide who they are or face beatings, incarceration, commitment to mental hospitals, expulsion from schools, loss of employment and far worse. To try and measure one groups suffering at the hands of an unjust society against an-others is playing right into the hands of the bigots. Saying prop 8 passed because of black voters is possibly the most hateful racist thing I’ve heard yet.
As for allowing “civil unions” but not “marriage” for gay people, isn’t that separate but equal ? Kinda like those drinking fountains, bus seats and schools of yesterday ?
How is denying a person a basic right due to their sex (women’s right to vote), color (um, slavery, segregation), or sexual identity (marriage) NOT a civil right issue?
Clooney is absolutely right. And if you think this isn’t their right and that they should not be able to marry for whatever reason (religious or otherwise), you are simply a bigot. Deny it all you want, but it is what it is.
“Saying prop 8 passed because of black voters is possibly the most hateful racist thing I’ve heard yet.”
This is a fact, not a racist presumption. Exit polls show that 70% of black voters favored prop 8, so while they may have not been solely responsible (obviously, plenty of other people voted for the proposition, as well) they clearly played a significant role.
And while I’m disappointed that prop 8 passed, I agree with the other commenters here who feel that comparing this setback to the horrors of segregation is an insult.
There is a big difference between comparing two things, and saying two things are the same. There are undeniable parallels between these two issues, no doubt. They are not the SAME thing, no doubt. One reminds us of the other, and that’s fair to say. Clooney has not said they’re the same thing here. He has said we will look back on this one day and shake our heads, wondering what we were thinking.
Well said, Scott. When I read this first, I wasn’t entirely sure if the comparison was apt but you’ve just clarified that for me. The issues are different but the fundamental denial of rights is the same.
Really George, because I compare breathing to taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide, Captain Obvious.
Hm. Let’s all chew on this: there was a restaurant catering to primarily gay men here in Canada that asked a female patron and her father to leave because she was a woman. She filed a claim under the Ontario Human Rights Act, and won. I didn’t hear peep from the organized lesbian community in support.
I am straight and live in the middle of Toronto’s gay neighbourhood. It’s my community too and if I have no problem frequenting a restaurant or whatever here, then there should be no issue from gay people that I am there.
And there usually isn’t. However, the gay men who have a problem with it dismiss me because I am a woman not because I’m straight, and by default I am a fag-hag (yes, even when out with my tolerant fella). Some gay women have a problem with it solely because I am straight (read: unavailable). To these people who are so interested in segregating themselves and using the Canadian Charter of Rights to do so, I say “you can’t have it both ways”. You want to be allowed to be hateful and discriminate while expecting others to accommodate you?
The thing with the issue on all sides is everyone needs to be a little less concerned about what’s going on in another person’s pants. Or bedroom. Oh, and show a little more respect because it goes a long way.
I would like to see a little more reciprocity from my same-sex fellow citizens, that’s all. I don’t think it’s wrong to ask of them what I would ask from, and give to, any other fellow citizen.
I am an african american woman and to all who think that what my ancesters went through is the same as gay rights I say shut the hell up. DO NOT compare yourself to anything that we go through. If a gay man or woman gets pulled over by the cops it is because the did something wrong. the cops do not know you are gay, but if a black man or woman is pulled over it is most likely because they are black and if they are black and driving a nice car. I am not saying some african americans drive perfectly, but most times it is racial profiling. My point is that you can argue your case all day long but do not attach it to our 400 years!
@SugaBrown: Ah yes, DWB – ‘Driving While Black’. I had the privilege of working for the first Black optometrist in Ontario and he and his BMW were pulled over, on average, twice a month. The first thing the copper always said was ‘Nice car. License and registration please.’
p.s. Plates are always run through prior to being pulled over unless there’s some immediate cause. The cops pulled him over solely to harass him. *oink*
Prop 8 assumes:
-Gay People should not be allowed to married because it is against goes against gods words
-homosexuality is a perversion that threatens the community
My question:
Who said that everybody in america is religious? Why does prop 8 assume that everyone is a believer of jesus christ, the bible, or even God.
It’s fucked up. as a nation that became the worlds melting pot–different cultures, different ideals, values and religous beliefs, why are we pushing for something that only religious people care about?
NOT EVERYONE IS RELIGIOUS.
you have to understand is homosexuality has existed forever. greek philosphers were gay. japanese samurais were gay. even cowboys.
for all you religious people, i know its hard to swallow, but prop 8 pretty much says
“i believe in a god who says homosexuality is wrong, so fuck all other belief systems, we’re right because we say we are!!”
please. we live in the 21st century now.
and for all the black people who support pro 8, shame on you!! we are not equating your specific struggles as a black person in a america to one of a homosexual–they are clearly different, but any if its anyone it should be you that understands that the pain from discrimination is universal.
some people in society think of religion as obsolete. they are not going around trying to take away people’s rights to pray.
i wish people would just start thinking straight. george clooney is right.
@Codzilla my point is laying the blame for the passage of prop 8 at the feet of black and latino voters is extremely misleading and divisive, also not accurate. If those voters had stayed home prop 8 would still have passed by a narrower margin yes but still passed. To even have the discussion and not include the 25 million dollars the Mormons of Utah donated or the backing of the catholic and predominantly anglo christian churches of So Cal is to create a skewed version of the events. In my city I am proud to say 8 went down resoundingly and was NOT supported by the majority of black voters.
Do we really need to have another “My people’s suffering was worse than your people’s suffering” discussion? Because they always end so well (not).
BS, You also don’t know what is it like to be Gay. Do you know what it is like to be with your partner in a loving monogamous healthy relationship for 25 years and when one of the partners pass away you dont get social security, you don’t have rights to go see them in the hospital, you dont have federal rights we have families and children who are just as every bit as loving, as together, as commited as anyone else. We have to create legal documents (power of attorney, wills, life insurance, etc.) to receive these things from our spouse. It isnt about just the word MARRIAGE. We love God and have a strong relationship with him, God created loving people who are gay, he certainly would never hate them and HE DOES HATE the people who erroneously judge them.. SHAMEFUL !!! I bet you love the gay neurosurgeon who saves your family members life, the cop who saves your life, I mean this is sooooooo shameful. People will feel awful when they see what they have done with spewing hate.
high five vdantev, you always have the best posts. You are a class act my friend.
It’s a direct insult to compare the civil rights movement to Gay marriage rights.
I feel people can marry whomever they want, it’s a choice. You can’t choose to be black, you don’t choose to be hated on and hung from a tree. Gay people were not put on slave ship[s and denied the right to drink from a fountain. Gay people were not bitten by police dogs, hosed by the fire department and cops. I get pulled over and harassed by cops all the time, stand out side and get my car searched for no damn reason at all. No Gay people get that treatment because of their lifestyle.
Being Gay is not a choice. Choosing to marry is a choice they are being denied.
and there are plenty of instances in which gay men and women have been harrassed, beaten, murdered and fired from jobs. You can’t pretend this doesn’t happen.
In the U.S. 4 women a day are murdered as a result of domestic violence. 1.2 million are raped a year. Only half of rapes are reported. Women earn less than men still to the tune of .75 on the dollar.
My point is, inequality is everywhere an if you not a white middle-class male, there is injustice throughout our history and still today.
This is an injustice that is occuring to a minority. It is thier right to marry. They do not ask to be recognized by a church. They asked to be recognized by the state goverment.
BG- It is NOT a lifestyle, and you calling it that is wrong.
i don’t remember hearing that blacks and latino’s went into some dark room and said hey let’s come up with prop 8. and they/we sure didn’t come up with millions of dollars for it.
people have the right to vote the way that they want.
to compare gays and this issue to what Blacks went through and in ,many ways still go through is just sickening. it’s not right, it’s not fair.
@breederina: Thanks for the clarification — and I agree with you. Sorry if I misunderstood or seemed condescending.
Clooney went a little….too far. The people/organization that was against Proposition 8 was very organized. So don’t blame this on blacks,blame the ones who provided the money to fund their causes to get the message out there to the religion bases. George Clooney should’ve known this, he supports Obama which is how Obama won the election.
M O N E Y!!
Protesting is not going to resolve this problem. Get a better organization set up. I’m AA, I’ve religious and I believe in gay marriage but if you don’t have a message who’s going to listen.
Good post, Nouvel. I was going to post that the issues really run deeper than the words. At the same time this was being passed in California, Arkansas passed a ballot measure which denies gays the right to foster or adopt children. Most people take for granted the right to marry or have children, but it is a legal nightmare for gays in partnerships. If the legalities aren’t just right, parents can be denied the right to see their children in the hospital, to be oonsulted on treatment and other major family issues. Meanwhile, the number of children needing homes grows at an alarming rate, while very good homes go empty. Anyone who can’t see that this is a civil rights issue just isn’t paying attention.
@Codzilla, no worries or need to apoligize. That prop 8 passed at all makes me crazy but all of us who agree that it’s wrong aren’t going anywhere until this misguided nonsense is truly driven from the land.
Check out Keith Olbermann:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnHyy8gkNEE
I’ve never been black, nor have I ever been gay, so I can’t relate to the ‘suffrage’ perspective. While hate crimes against gay people run rampant in recent history, I sincerely doubt anything can be compared to the suffering experienced by black people in U.S. history.
I don’t, and won’t, denigrate anyone’s feelings on Prop 8 (I was pissed when it passed) – but to compare it to the disgrace of segregation and THOSE hate crimes is a bit out of touch. Similar perspectives, yes….something we’ll look back on in the future as another ridiculous embarrassment in our past, yes.
It’s threads like this that make me cry.
Yikes, not a good pic of Clooney. I think I see hair in his ears.
I don’t think it’s really fair to compare gay marriage issues to the black civil rights movement or even womens rights. Not saying gay people shouldn’t have equal rights. My only qualm is that as I walk down the street everyone can see I’m black. When I walk into a job interview I can’t hide that I’m black. Being gay isn’t something that can be seen without being told for the vast majority in that community.
That being said I think we’ve come a long way and I was surprised that prop 8 passed. I hope also that we can get past these race, gender, and sexual preference issues.
Well put Shay. The 2 struggles should not be compared and are not equal. Curiously it’s mostly gay whites who make the comparison. History tells us different. I don’t remember hearing about: gay slavery, gays forced to sit in the back of the bus, forced to drink water from different fountains, forced to go to different schools, gays being lynched, gays not allowed on tv dance shows dancing with straights, gays not allowed in the Olympics, gays not allowed in major league baseball, gays enduring segregation laws (Jim Crowe laws). If the struggle is equal where are the great gay leaders to inspire the people and lead marches like Martin Luther King? What next–comparing the Million Man March to a Gay Pride Parade? I think not.
He is absolutely right. People may be going about it different ways, but it is still a violation of civil rights, whether you want to sugar coat that or not.
why does everyone ask George Clooney his opinion on political/social issues? He’s a guy who got rich and famous because he’s so good looking, and eventually developed some real talent. he likes young, dumb women and considers himself the king of correct?
” where are the great gay leaders to inspire the people and lead marches like Martin Luther King? ”
Well @ Jeanne I can’t speak to all of them but some were murdered for being gay like Harvey Milk , countless others died of a plague that went ignored by their goverment because “only gays were affected by it” and still others were beaten to death for being “faggots”. But don’t worry theirs plenty more where they came from. As for comparing the million man march to a gay pride parade, before the million man march there was the Second Gay March on Washington on Oct. 11,1987 which drew a crowd of 500,000-800,000 people. So please don’t even start.
I am gay. Some call me and mine the “invisible minority” as though this is a good thing. Some of us are white, many of us are not. Those of us who are white, like myself, can go through much of our lives and pass as straight.
Pass as straight if we choose to. Sounds good to some visible minorities but I’ll tell you this: it ain’t not walk in the park. I grew up in the ’80s, came out to my family in 1986 and was told by them that I was not allowed to come home. Ever! This separation lasted for more than 13 years. Why? Because I’m gay.
That was then. Things have changed a great deal since then. There are gay characters on television and in movies. Actors and singers can be openly gay (if their managers and handlers allow them this freedom) without incident. Yet I can still ride the subway or sit in a restaurant and hear the words: faggot, homo, lezzie, queer, etc. “That’s so gay!” How many times have I heard that? Sounds harmless enough. But I think it’s even more hurtful because of the casual way in which people use that statement and those words. “You’re so gay!” Can you imagine if it were “you’re such a n-word”? It’s still perfectly acceptable in many circles to use defamatory words that belittle and demean gay people. I can’t even begin to tell you how many people, in favor of prop 8, made youtube videos and said things like: “Some of my best friends are gay but I support prop 8.” With friends like that…
People are people (thanks Depeche Mode!) and one person’s struggle isn’t any more or less important than another.
My life as an OUT gay man is quite good and I live in Canada, so I could marry my partner of 19+ years if I so chose.
But that’s the thing. We have the right to marry. The same right as our straight counterparts. Stats on heterosexual marriage is not good – more than 50% end in divorce. Maybe my queer Canadian brothers and sisters will have better luck!
Hold on there Jeanne, there HAVE been gay lynchings, gay targeted murders, people set on fire, etc – mostly prevalent in the south but not exclusively (the south comment comes from what I’ve heard/read – I’m not an expert). Some of the more disturbing hate crimes have happened to gay men and women in the recent past. All I was saying is that we are more rational and tolerant as a nation today (not completely there, but you’ll get my drift), than we were a 100 years ago. We have laws to protect people today whereas in our history, the lawmen were part of the bastards that targeted black people. THAT’S why I don’t think there’s a comparison – not because gay people haven’t suffered, they do, but the two groups have definitely experienced different levels of suffering.
There are so many groups who have been through terrible sufferings and yes, there is no comparing the actuality of that experience from one group to another. But we are all human and does the difference make the suffering any less? Black, gay, Jewish, Cambodian, gypsy, Islamic sects, so many more. People all over the world suffer for who they are EVERY DAY. People will have different beliefs forever, but it is by our actions and attitudes towards others that we will all stand or fall together.
::Last time I checked, gays weren’t forced to drink from differnt water fountains, forced to sit at the back of the bus, or lumped together in one school because of their sexual orientation.::
Perhaps it’s because one can’t tell another’s sexual orientation by sight that more attrocities haven’t happened towards gay people. However, once they’ve been found out, gays throughout history have been tortured, punished, and murdered. In American society, not only do gays have to deal with hate crimes and incredible bigotry and intolerance but also hateful terminology, stereotypes in the media, harassment at school, the notion that civil ceremonies are fine but marriage isn’t which is a little thing called SEPARATE BUT EQUAL which everyone knows isn’t equal… the list goes on and on. This is not a black vs. gay thing, though there are many gay african americans. It’s not a Christian thing or a Mormon thing. I’m not going to add to the hate that’s already out there by saying whose fault it is. Honestly, lots of different people and groups play a part. It’s a human rights issue. And just as Blacks fought for their rights and women marched for the right to vote, gays too will get the right to marry, it’s inevitable.
::It’s the word “marriage” that people object to…Gays have to right to redefine a term that has meant that same thing for thousands of years!!::
“Marriage” is a word. It doesn’t belong to anyone. Just as we have freedom of speech, we don’t have ownership of words. They don’t belong to any one person, they belong to collective society and anyone can use them. As for the concept behind it, marriage has change and been redefined a billion times of thousands of years. It was only a mere century ago that marriage meant a woman was property of a man and could be beaten with anything thinner than a thumb. To suggest that marriage hasn’t been redefined is hilarious. The rules change constantly.
“This is a fact, not a racist presumption. Exit polls show that 70% of black voters favored prop 8,”
And so what? Do you realize how little of the population that is? 7% of California’s population is black. To assume blacks voting for prop 8 caused it not to pass is ridiculous.