Tom Hanks has come out in full-force for gay rights, adding his name to the list of pro-gay-marriage celebs like Charlize Theron, Ellen DeGeneres, Brad Pitt and Anne Hathaway. At the premiere for HBO’s new season of Big Love (Did you know Hanks executive produced that show? I didn’t.), Hanks mouthed off to a Fox News columnists about how much he hates that the Mormon Church gave so much money to push Prop 8 through. He’s actually really eloquent about the issue.
We didn’t know he had it in him! The normally mild-mannered Tom Hanks had some surprisingly strong words for the Mormon [Church] on Wednesday.
The executive producer of HBO’s drama about polygamy, Big Love, called parts of the church ‘un-American’ for supporting Prop 8. “The truth is these people are some bizarre offshoot of the Mormon Church,” he told Fox News’s Poptarts column at the show’s premiere party, “and the truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen.”
“There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American and I am one of them,” the star said of the anti gay-marriage law. “I do not like to see any discrimination codified on any piece of paper, any of the 50 states in America, but here’s what happens now.”
“A little bit of light can be shed and people can see who’s responsible and that can motivate the next go around of our self correcting constitution and hopefully we can move forward instead of backwards. So lets have faith in not only the American, but Californian constitutional process.”
From OK! Magazine
If Tom Hanks is against you, you need to rethink your position. Hanks is like the Walter Cronkite of this generation – he represents the middle-of-the-road, the lovable centrist in all of us. It’s interesting (to me) that most pro-gay-marriage Californians have absolute faith that the California courts will overturn Prop 8. I usually don’t go in for “activist judge” conspiracy theories, but there’s certainly a possibility that the courts won’t overturn Prop 8. Perhaps all of these celebrities should put their money where their mouths are, and pay for a real media campaign to educate and inform about gay marriage.
Tom Cruise is shown on 1/14/09 at the premiere of “Big Love.” Credit: WENN
Isn’t “un-American” usually what people complain about being called when they ascribe to other more liberal views, like being against the war, or for more gun control?
Neither view either for or against gay marriage is “un-American”. They are simply differing viewpoints.
mE- The argument in this case is constitutional… prop 8 is an amendment that writes discrimination directly into the California constitution. Unless I have been misled my whole life and america is built on discrimination, rather than freedom for all, this bill is inherently unAmerican.
I understand that there is discrimination that has and still is happening in America, but that isn’t right (most will agree that things like the KKK are wrong – but yet protected by american freedoms) and is most definitely not an excuse to continue furthering more discrimination.
mormons did not give money to the church. they gave money to the organizations that did the advertising for Prop8.
There are some people who genuinely believe that gay marriage is absolutely wrong. Whether you agree or disagree, they have the right to their own beliefs and opinions. Mr. Hanks is actually the one behaving in an unAmerican fashion by spewing hatred at those who happen to disagree with his position on the issue.
That being said, I personally have no problem with gay marriage. But I also respect those who think differently.
I thought the great thing about America is that, for the most part, the PEOPLE decide major issues. The people spoke, and the decision was made. Instead of criticizing people for having their own feelings on the issue, why not try again, and see if they can convince more people to support their position? THAT is the American way.
Good for him. Anyone who volunteered, or even voted Yes on 8- You disgust me.
Some of you people need a history lesson: remember who it was who formed the House UnAmerican Activities Commission? Right, it was Joe McCarthy, the anti-communist crusader. While he had the right idea (the State Department had over 200 communists), his methods of attacking people and trying to destroy careers was reprehensible!
Now Hanks is calling anyone who doesn’t agree with him un-American. Why is it that liberals always show their hypocrisy by turning into the people they themselves have villified over the years??
Be careful who you call un-American. The fact is these people voted on it…if their votes mean nothing then what is the point of the democratic process??
I love it when people talk about their great love for democracy, until the majority votes for something they disagree with. Then democracy is bad, bad, bad.
@hellary… lest you forget all the letters threatening harm and boycotting that the prop 8 campaign was sending to businesses that spoke out again them.
much closer to mccarthy-ism than “unamerican”
Yay Jess!!! You get it! Thanks for explaining it so eloquently. Why are these ideas so hard for people to understand?
Isnt “unamerican” someone who doesnt allow other ppl their own opinions. Their right to vote in anyway they choose? Sounds like the only “unamerican” here is TOM the bigot HANKS!
BTW- 2% of the vote in Cali were “mormons”
Comparing Tom Hanks to Walter Cronkite? Where do you get that? Kaiser, have you been smoking the bong with Bradley Pitt?
It’s quite clear that Tom is talking about the fact that legalized discrimination is unamerican, not having opinions against gay marriage. We liberals are about believing what you want, even if you disagree. His point is that Prop 8 supporters had no right to try to push for laws to ban gay marriage, just because they don’t agree with it, and thus disenfranchise an entire population.
Why doesn’t he speak out against the black churces which also urged people to support prop 8?
Or that the polls on election day show that what made the difference on prop 8 was Obama’s supporters from the African-American community?
Interesting that he only goes after Mormons.
Nothing is UN-american that’s teh beauty of being american. You’re FREE and have the right to be free. So with that said anyone who is for or against somethign isn’t being Unamerican they’re being full fledged americans.
Go back to acting Mr. Hanks! You don’t speak for us all…
viper, are gay people “free” to marry? No they are not.
It absolutely digusts me and breaks my heart, that there are still people out there who want to prevent other people’s happiness.
If you are so screwed in the head that the existance of gay love can somehow threaten your own, then you don’t even know what love is.
“disgusts” I mean.
And mormons are assholes. I speak from knowing some who are possibly the nastiest people I’ve ever known.
Makes me happy I’m not American. So much bigotry and fear.
@ elusive: Me too.
We have civil partnerships – IT’S NOT A MARRIAGE! – over here in the UK and it hasn’t made any difference to heterosexual marriages.
Your religion says to accept others so damn well do it. Rant over.
people can think whatever they want about gay people- that is their right. but when their opinion starts taking away people’s civil rights that’s when it becomes a problem, IMO.
I support gay marriage…why not let THEM be as miserable as the rest of us?
One of the reasons that mormons are being targeted is because they were far and away the biggest financial contributors to Prop 8 (including over $1 million out of state contributions-don’t even get me started on that!).
It really broke my heart to see the black churches speaking out in favor of discrimination on purpose, when they as a group struggled through so much discrimination in their race’s history. Remember when it was not ok for a white person to marry a black person (and other races as well), no matter how much they loved each other? People can choose their sexuality as much as they can pick their skin color.
(And no I am not a liberal – I just believe in the equality of all. Why does some group feel it necessary to go out of their way to take something away from someone else in times like these? We need contributions to charities, economic help, and support among others. The money and time raised by prop 8 – and the money and time that had to be raised to fight it – could have been spent on much more important things than battling to take away someone else’s rights.)
How many of you were personally affected (for the worse) by the legalization of gay marriage in California. Did you love your husband or wife any less than before? Did you lose your job or house because of it?
I love you, Tom Hanks!!!
I never understand why some people think it’s a valid argument to say, “they’re not being unAmerican, they’re exercising their right to a differing opinion” etc.
Differing opinions are fine. You can disagree with and hate homosexuality all you want. Scream it through a loudspeaker for all I care. But when a group of people are legally discriminated against due to other peoples’ “opinions,” that’s when it’s a problem.
Who is being hurt by gay people getting married? Absolutely no one. It may threaten the right-wing fundie bubble some people try to hide in, but it does no actual harm or infringes on anyone’s privileges. But when it’s written into law that gay people cannot get married…it hurts millions.
In a perfect world, people would mind their own damn business, live and let live. But we don’t live in a perfect world. That’s why there’s Tom Hanks.
It’s funny how much attention is being given to the Mormons about their contributions for Prop. 8, if you wanna see who gave a ton of money Against prop 8, look at the contribution list. It shows millions coming from writers, producers, actors and directors in Hollywood. The same Hollywood who tries to push it’s views on all of us through television, movies and the media. Are they un-american for pushing their views on us regular folk? I don’t really care about their political views, it’s is pretty silly that so many pay attention to what a particular actors says and thinks it must be the true and correct view of all Americans. The voting public has a right and obligation to vote what They believe in, not what others think of the topic or about how they vote.
I dare for anyone in Hollywood to bash blacks or hispanics and call them un-American for the way they voted. I would love to see THAT battle! (Come on Tom Hanks)They are the ones who passed Prop.8.
I think some people need to take a basic composition course. . .
Hanks didn’t call individuals who are against gay marriage “un-American”, he called Prop-8 and its financial supporters “un-American”. Which it is. Any amendment which restricts the freedoms of a target group of people is, by definition, “un-American”.
Listen. It’s your god-given right as an American to be as bigoted and narrow-minded as you please. But when you start to put laws on the books that deny fellow citizens “certain unalienable rights”, you’re overstepping your boundaries.
@ Jaundice – I love you! Well said…
Sometimes I will read something about the States and I will be gobsmacked that in 2009 it is actually STILL an issue…this is one of those times…
In both Canada (where I was born and lived most of my life) and New Zealand (where I now live) the legalisation of gay marriage a done deal…done and dusted.
A large part of the issue of course is people’s inability to separate the secular state from religious ideologies, many of which have become embedded in society and are now really difficult to remedy, like the anti-abortionists and those who support pro-8 and are against gay marriage. You can believe whatever you wish to believe but as Jaundice said so well no one has the right to ‘force’ through legislation their particular viewpoints and life choices around issues such as these on society as a whole. Don’t agree with abortion? Don’t have one… Don’t agree with gay marriage? Don’t participate in that either. No one’s asking you too.
It gets dangerous because once you start legislating people’s ‘rights’ it becomes the thin edge of the wedge. There are many people in America who’d really like to see all women with children ‘made’ to stay home rather than go out to work. It becomes a question of who gets to decide how far is too far from a ‘regulatory’ point of view.
I also believe churches should stay OUT of state business and politics. I don’t bring my beliefs to work with me as a senior public servant because I truly believe that I don’t have the RIGHT to push what I think works for me and my family on anyone else.
Good on Mr Hanks for having the guts and grace to speak out…
Linda, “Hollywood” is not pushing anything on you. The entertainment industry makes movies, television shows, radio shows and such for profit. They haven’t tried to make laws based on whether not romantic comedies can be shown only to gay people.
“Pushing” your ideas on someone seems a bit more like making discriminatory laws rather than making cinematic adventures that you can CHOOSE to go and see. You cannot choose whether or not to obey the law and have no consequences. You can choose not to see “Milk” and nothing will come of it.
Please think context people. THINK. Do that before you comment. He is the producer of Big Love, a show about Mormons. Does it make sense that he would be talking about the Mormon Church in an interview?
By the way, he’s right. The Mormon Church and others used actual lies to get people to vote Yes on Prop 8. That is very un-American.
Bravo, drm. You put it more eloquently than I could.
Keep religious beliefs away from politics. They don’t mix. They don’t mesh. And not everyone believes in God (whatever or whomever it may be) so making legislation based on one group’s religious beliefs is Un-American.
@Jess Very well put, and exactly correct.
Yes people have a right to their ‘opinion’, but not a right to impose it on others.
btw Tom Hanks was ALWAYS pro-gay-rights. Anyone remember a movie called Philadelphia?? And I’m not sure that he’s really “middle of the road”….
I am a Mormon and PROUD to be one!!! There are so many rumors out there about the Mormon religion, it’s ridiculous. Mormons DO NOT practice poligamy any longer. We did several years ago to re-populate the church. Sure it may have been a bad move on our part-but we learn from our mistakes, get over it people! We all make them.
If people are going to judge Mormons for what we did in the past, then I might as well say that all Catholics are boy touching perverts, but do I? NO.
Yes, some people still practice poligamy, and they may call themselves Mormon, let me just clear this up right now…THEY ARE NOT MORMON!!! We do NOT allow that in our religion any longer. I wish people would get that through their thick skulls.
I think Tom Hanks should get his facts straight before going public about things he knows nothing about.
To think I used to be a huge fan of his, I think I changed my mind…
I get that this wasn’t really about poligamy, but I NEEDED to get that out!
And with the topic at hand, Gay people, everyone has different opinions, even some Mormons, such as myself, have NO problem with gays.
I was out protesting prop 8 before the elections and I got things thrown at me and called derogatory terms. I’m not gay, but I believe in rights for all-i’ve always been proud to live in a country that guarantees freedom and the “pursuit of happiness for all”, but those for Prop 8 have effectively taken away that from millions of people.
The prop was unconstitutional and that’s what needs to be rectified.
The Pro0Prop 8 people are being American by taking away fundamental rights from a group of people.
I think everyone needs to take a chill pill. And those who are for Prop 8 (for religious reasons) need to ask themselves what gives them the right to push their morals and beliefs on the rest of us. There is a separation of church and state and Prop8 violated it. That’s why it should be overturned.
I’m going to repost something I wrote back when the vote was still going on… and I also want to say how well written all of the responses were to this. It’s so nice to read a debate on this where people aren’t flaming each other but actually having conversations.
.
“Gay marriage has become such an important issue to me, as it should be an important issue to everyone. It’s a civil rights issue, period. And the only reason anyone wants to deny homosexuals equal rights is a religious one. PERIOD. Your God says it’s a bad thing. But what if my God disagrees? If you take religion out of the equation, THERE IS NO ISSUE. And don’t even get me started on the slippery slope end of the argument, because you know the only reason I’m writing this is because I want to legally marry my dogs. Both of them.” – Heather from dooce.com
America was founded on the ideal of freedom of religion. Yes, we had a Puritanical Christian beginning. But why were they here? Because the Church of England was trying to tell them what to believe and how to live their life! They were here to ESCAPE RELIGIOUS PROSECUTION, and now 400 to 500 years later, our citizens are trying to do the exact thing that their ancestors tried to get away from.
There will always be exceptions, but the VAST majority of supporters for Prop 8 are religious folks. In fact, 77% of monetary support for Yes on Prop 8 is from people who practice the Mormon religion…both in AND OUT of California.
If marriages were only legal if conducted in a church (a la England) this would be a moot point. It would be up to the churches to decide if they would or would not grant marriage licenses to homosexuals. However, people get married in courthouses all the time. This makes marriage a governmental entity as well and we have a strict separation of church and government policy in this country.
To argue that allowing gays to get married would ruin the “sanctity and sacredness of marriage” is ridiculous. Our divorce rate wouldn’t be 60% if people truly respected marriage.
Thank you, barneslr and Shannon.
CB Rawks, by your logic, Catholics are child molesters and Muslims are terrorists You’re going to find jerks and psychos in every religion. That’s human nature. I’ve met some really rude, angry and offensive atheists, but I don’t think that all atheists are law-breaking arses.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that you don’t hear anyone talking smack about other Christian churches and organizations that supported proposition 8. The Mormon church is an easy target, and for some reason it’s okay to publicly talk crap about it in a way that no other religion would tolerate and that indeed no one in the media would tolerate.
I don’t think that getting angry and calling religious people unAmerican, closed-minded bigots is the best way to change their minds, personally. A little kindness goes a long way, does it not?
Sure you’ve got the right to think gay marriage is wrong, but that doesn’t mean you’ve got the right to ban it. I think what Lara Flynn Boyle did to her face is wrong, but she still has the right to fug herself as much as she pleases, even if I don’t like it. Gay people getting married don’t affect my life in the least… why should I be allowed to decide on their right to do it? What does affect me and all of you as well, is the fact that individual rights might be taken away from us if they bother certain people. Today it’s gay marriage, tomorrow it might be something else, like our right to having more than one child for example.
I respect Mr. Hanks and find him a talented person. However, that does not mean he is right or those who differ in his opinion are wrong. Marriage is something formed by society over its evolution. It is traditionally between a man and a woman, whether you like it or not, that is the basis of marriage. In today’s free-for-all world, gay groups want it changed. In one aspect, I really do not care. On the other hand, if you take it further, why limit it to the same gender? Why can’t I marry my pet dog? If there are no limits then there are no boundaries. If you see how gay activist groups treat churches and those who do not support them, you’d see them in a different light than that of a suppressed minority. People bend over backwards to give gays equal rights. I think its going overboard but that is my opinion.
I love when people arguing against gay marriage say things like, “Next thing you know, people will marry their dogs!” I always think, “What?! Where did THAT come from? No one was even thinking about that until YOU brought it up. Is that YOUR secret fantasy?”
To quote a sign I saw in a pic of Prop 8 protesters, “When do I get to vote on YOUR marriage?”
@Mr. T, although I think you’re exaggerating when you talk about gay hostility towards people who don’t agree with them, I wouldn’t blame them for being hostile after centuries of persecution. When was the last time you heard of a gay mob storming a church and lynching the pastor? That sort of thing happens to gay people all the time, often perpetrated by people who claim to be acting on God’s behalf.
Now the fringe religions are tossing their hats into the political cesspool? It’s time to start taxing church income- period. If they want to play politics, they need to pay for the privilege. the country never would have gone into debt if we had done this years ago.
You can’t marry your dog because it isn’t a human consenting adult, that’s why.
I used to live in Utah/Idaho, in which the Mormons have been very instrumental in getting extreme conservatives issues influence throughout the country for years. I do not even know why people are making them such a big deal. They have been doing this for decades.
Prop 8 was about religion, not race. e and race, meanwhile, were not as strong factors as assumed. According to the poll, 56 percent of voters over age 55 and 57 percent of nonwhite voters cast a yes ballot for the gay marriage ban.
People who identified themselves as practicing Christians were highly likely to support the constitutional amendment, with 85 percent of evangelical Christians, 66 percent of Protestants and 60 percent of Roman Catholics favoring it.
The poll also showed that the measure got strong backing from voters who did not attend college (69 percent), voters who earned less than $40,000 a year (63 percent) and Latinos (61 percent).–Source Huffingtonpost
This means that the LGBT community particularly in the Bay Area where I live, did not do a good job with getting out the vote and education to the communities. Had they did this as well as the Evangelist/Religious community did, they would had won. It was a narrow win for Prop 8 to pass. They should had done more, thus, creating their own movement like the Civil Rights Movement. This clearly has not happened, and until it happens, this issue will be clearly divided.
Thanks drm – great post! I generally think it’s petty to argue over semantics, but when people completely misinterpret the context of the conversation . . . well I might as well put my degree to use sometime.
Generally speaking, whenever someone throws out the “slippery slope” comment, the legal basis for their argument is in its death throws. It’s grasping at straws to claim we’re a step away from recognizing multiple partners or livestock as legitimate spouses – social conventions being what they are, marriage is still a contract between two consenting individuals. (Well, today in most Westernized countries, at least, it’s consensual. Historically that hasn’t been the case, for those that hold “traditional marriage” sacrament.) Gay marriage has been done to death in the Netherlands, and no one has decided to legally bequeath their estate to their damn dog.
The legal basis for a marriage similar to that of a merger – to secure the rights and assents of two parties entering into a long-term agreement. What does it matter who you enter into that contract with, so long as that individual is capable of giving their consent? This is the “Land of the Free”, after all. Should the Government transpire over all of our social and business contracts? Should They get to decide which lawyer we hire, or which supplier we buy from, or the exact dollar amount we leave our loved ones?
The word “freedom” is tossed around by President Bush like ticker-tape at a parade. How can we live in “freedom” if an entire group of people are systematically being repressed? Securing the rights of individuals’ freedoms whether or not you agree with their lifestyle – no, especially if you disagree with their lifestyle – guarantees the rights and freedoms of all individuals. Including you.
Why should only straight people have to give away half their crap every 5 years?
Mr. Hanks, you should be very careful and think clearly before you speak. You should also stay focused on where your gifts and talents are, which is clearly not in public opinion forums. I don’t agree with the majority of Mormon doctrine, but in the USA Mormons have every right to support any cause they want without being criticized by people with differing opinions. Especially uninformed celebrities. I presume your comments were directed toward the Mormons because of the degree of support for Prop 8. By that very action you should have included two more groups (African Americans and Hispanics). Both of those groups overwhelming supported Prop 8. And by all reports that I have read, even more so than the Mormons. Are African Americans and Hispanics (legally in America) also “un-American”. If you are going to take a stand, be better informed or don’t be a hypocrit. I leave the choice up to you.
PMM, hypocrite has an “e” at the end.
Beside that, you have to think of the context in which he said that. He is the producer of Big Love so it is likely that he was asked a question about Mormons and Prop 8.
This is a free country. We are free to criticize whomever we what for whatever reason. We can speak freely against religions or for religions. If you think we shouldn’t be free to criticize because we have a differing opinion, why don’t you go ahead and put that to a vote and see how it goes?
@ Jaundice _ thank you for that…that degree of yours wouldn’t be in LAW would it??? 🙂
what is wrong with his face? it looks like someone stuck a bicycle pump in his mouth and starting pumping.
I wholeheartedly agree with freedom to marry whom ever you want, period.
That said, this surprised me;
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123025779370234773.html
oH BOY, here we go again. The church, being created by Jesus Christ is expected to condone immorality just because it’s popular. As President George Bush said, “it’s better to be right, than popular”!!
@Kate:
Wow. How did I not notice that? He looks terrible in that picture. I hope it’s just the picture and that something hasn’t happened to his face.
Mrs. Brown: The church, being created by Jesus Christ is expected to condone immorality just because it’s popular.
So marriage between two consenting adults who love each other is now immoral? Now I guess only non-consenting non-adults who hate each other should marry by your logic?
Mrs brown was being sarcastic…
I feel I need to help the discussion because many people here have no idea what prop. 8 was for. It was passed to restore (meaning put it back how it was) the law before 4 judges decided to change it.
Second, if you didn’t notice this is the same thing in most states (all but two and those were forced by a total of less than 8 people on those state’s populations).
Third, discrimination is part of our laws. You cannot marry your sister (discriminating against those that want too). You cannot murder another person (discriminating against murders) and so forth. If you disagree than that’s one thing but the majority of California think that Prop. 8 was right. So stop trying to force your opinion on other people. The vote was taken and your side lost. Most people in California disagree with you. Also this is nothing like discrimination against someone becuase they are black. They are black at birth without choice but being gay is a choice.
Fourth, Mr. Hanks is a coward because he is only going after Mormons when he should be going after the majority of Californians which include whites, hispanics, blacks, religious, atheists etc. But as only a coward would he neglects the majority and goes after a small group as an example to try and intimidate the rest. So much for gays talking about tolerance, I’ve never seen so much hatred in a poltical campaign as I saw from them. If you vote against them, they attack you in the street, deface your property, make obscene comments at you and try to intimidate you into not voting.
Fifth, believing that gays should be allowed to marry or not marry are both religious beliefs whether you admit it or not. Even if you are an atheist that is still a religion, so stop crying about people voting thier conscience. You do it as well.
Finally, I know that alot of you disagree with me and I don’t care. Obviously the majority of California and the rest of the U.S. does. And that is even with the dirty tricks that the California government did with the wording of Prop 8.
vdantev, wow rarely do I read something as stupid as your arguement about non consenting, non adults getting married. Those adults could be opposite sexes then they can marry and hey, they could consent to it as well. Was that so hard? Gays already have the ability to marry, they can marry someone of the opposite sex. That way they don’t have to rewrite the laws of 48 states and the federal government (they already rewrote the laws of two states against the will of the people).
histstudent, you are an idiot. Not because you disagree with me, but because ALL reliable research has concluded that homosexuality is not a choice. Why would anyone CHOOSE to be gay, so they can get the crap kicked out of them even MORE in high school? Also, it is also not unnatural, as homosexual behavior has been documented in all varieties of animals. Go ahead, look it up. Or have you already finished burning all the books?
histstudent, you are using tired excuses and lies just like the Mormon church to try to excuse away this injustice.
First, Prop 8 was put forth to change the California Constitution to say that marriage was between “one man and one woman”. I live in California and voted on it so I know what I’m talking about. Marriage has NEVER been defined in the California Constitution as between “one man and one woman”.
Second, if you notice in those two states, gay marriage hasn’t changed anything.
Third, you can’t marry your sister because that is incest and incest is bad for the community and for humans in general. If you keep on with that, in a few generations, humans start having all kinds of congenital issues. It is not discrimination. You can’t murder someone because that is bad for the community. Humans have laws based on simple things that are good for the human community. The majority of California voters were lied to and voted based on those lies or voted according to their religious beliefs which is wrong.
Gay people and those who support them aren’t “forcing” our opinion on anyone. You are forcing your opinion on us by making laws based on your religious beliefs. Which is not what America is about. We left England to escape being forced into one religion and that religion’s beliefs. That is the truth and you can’t argue that.
52% is a slim majority. And I’d bet that that majority would not exist if the Mormon Church and other religious groups hadn’t lied to their congregations about the implications of gay marriage.
Fourth, Tom Hanks is answering a question. Probably about what he thinks about the Mormon Church and gay marriage as he is the producer of Big Love, a show about a sect of Mormons who practice polygamy.
Some gay people are angry, but the type and the amount of violence perpetuated against gays through the years in no way compares to the types of violence a few angry protesters have perpetuated against Prop 8 supporters.
Fifth, allowing gay people to get married has nothing to do with religion as getting married in this country has nothing to do with religion in this country. You cannot be legally married in this country until you sign a marriage license. A marriage license is a contract with the state, not with your church.
Atheists are not a part of a religion. It’s kind of hte point. “A” means “without”. “Theist” means “one who believes in a god or gods”. Atheists are without a god or gods, i.e. they just don’t believe in any God. That is not a religion no matter how you want to spin it.
I’m not an atheist. I vote with my head and what seems right in terms of the law, not my religious beliefs. In terms of the law, gay marriage is not illegal. The judges who granted gay marriage were not being “activists” at all. The California Constitution never said anything specific about marriage being between one man and one woman. Some gay couples noticed that and sued the state of California to get the right to be legally married (i.e. sign marriage licenses). The judges agreed because, according to the laws of my great state, they should have been allowed to get married forever.
The California government did not use tricky wording. Those who got Prop 8 on the ballot used tricky wording to get people to not know exactly how they were voting.
Stop lying. The time for that is over.
P.S. Vandentv is clearly referring to teens who get pregnant or are forced against their will to get married for whatever reason. That does happen in this country.
And you brought up a very interesting point in your first post. You think that being gay is a choice. There is no definite evidence either way; choice or not. So that is another lie.
And even if it is a choice, why would someone choose to be gay in this country? That is a serious question to anyone really. Why would someone choose to be gay when they are clearly still discriminated against in this country?
This country has a history of rewriting laws to prevent the discrimination of minority groups. It is what we do as a country. We move past the discriminatory practices of the past and make things more equal for every tax paying, law-abiding citizen.
Gay people pay taxes and they aren’t committing a crime by being gay. Being gay does not exclude people from being citizens of this country.
Why should they not be allowed to get married?
Tom Hanks is anti American. He does not believe that others can differ with his opinion.
Wow. Some people really need to take a breather from the internet and read a goddamn book, a newspaper, something to boost those reading comprehension skills. Damn.
drm – Mebbe. How ever could you tell? (Insert smilie here.)
@histstudent: I’d explain context to you, but I’m afraid you go off on some unrelated lengthy dissertation about bunnies and Valvoline and hula hoops like you did just previously. Wow!
With Prop 8 the Mormon Church crossed the line which separates church and state. They are now a political party. Their tax exempt status should be removed.
Tom Hanks is a coward as are most of the Prop 8 supporters. Including gays. No one has the courage to go after the the main majority of voters which was the african americans and latinos. It’s easy to pick on mormons because of their so called beliefs. Be a man Tom. Blast the other groups as well. You to gay america. Don’t single out one group, stop being pansies and go after the other groups and blast them as well. Hypocrites.
I’m not convinced that any of us “can choose our sexuality”, and that’s the difficulty – to me there is a sort-of ‘continuum’ along which we all ‘pitch’ somewhere according to whether we are heterosexual or homosexual or maybe ‘bits of both’. Surely it should be up-to each individual to decide where their sexuality lies, and also as to whom they would like to commit-to-in-law. Why should this be an issue for ‘outsiders’ who, if they are not homosexual surely dont even understand it.
and, yes, why not follow us Brits on this and go for ‘civil partnership’? It seems very important for the majority of couples to declare their love for another in the eyes of the law . . . not something I’ve ever needed to do.
Don’t compare being gay to being black. When a black walks into a room one can tell. When a gay walks into a room one can make assumptions but doesn’t know unless it is confirmed in some way.
That is very simplistic but also very true. Gays get discriminated against and it is WRONG. Period.
But being ‘out’ IS a choice that opens you up to the struggle. ‘Ethnic’ peoples can’t hide who they are unless there is a lot of white blood in their ancestry.
A lot of people get pissed about that but it is simply the truth. The treatment of gays after the ‘cat is out of the bag’ is as diplorable as it is for other minorities but please don’t keep throwing that out there. It is like apples and oranges.
Tom Hanks should be ashamed of himself, and stick to making good movies!! The Mormons are good people…just because we dont want this fine country to turn into a cesspool, doesn’t mean we are un-american.
mormons do not suck!…histstudent, thank you
Allowing gay marriage means the country is turning into a cesspool…interesting…
People are comparing the civil rights struggle of black people and gays. Gay people are gay people. Period. Some “show” it more than others but even if they aren’t flamboyant about it, they want to get married.
What I’m trying to say is that it doesn’t matter if you can “see” the thing you are discriminating against. You are still being discriminatory and that is why gay people are comparing their civil rights struggle to the black civil rights struggle.
I am really tired of hearing about the Poor gay rights movement. “How is that gonna hurt YOUR marriage if gay marriage is legalized?” “It’s not fair that Gay men can’t be blood donors” etc etc. Well,Gay relationships have hurt people in many ways. Just ask the mother who lost her son (Ryan White to just name one) because the blood tranfusion he recieved was tainted with the Aids Virus. He died! But heck, nobody wants to talk about that do they. You can’t argue facts, but you can conviently forget the history of a disease that was spread to our blood banks. Times have changed and the donor screening methods have improved, but people still died. I don’t wanna see them trivialized by some group who ALREADY has all the legal rights that man/woman marriages have. Calif. legislature passed bill AB 43 in 2007. Why don’t you guys just leave it alone now. You have your rights, let us keep ours!
ASDF
Mr. Hanks I’ve always thought you were a little light in the lofers, this just proves it. God did not intend for us to lay with the same sex, if that was the case, there would be no today, they all would have died long ago.
Live long and prosper?
I was watching the David Letterman show on Thursday October 29, 2009, and Tom Hanks was the guest. Hanks was describing a situation where he and his brother were recently driving across the United States and their car ran out of gas in the middle of the vast salt field of Bonneville, Utah. Hanks then mentioned how his brother said he was going to call the Automobile Club for some help. Thinking this was an idea that didn’t make sense since they were in the middle of nowhere, Hanks said “My brother turned Pollack on me all of a sudden”, insinuating that Polish people are stupid. Can you imagine what kind of reaction and outcry there would have been if he had said the “n” word, or made a derogatory comment towards Hispanics or another minority group? These kind of remarks perpetuate stereotypes, no matter how “minor” they appear to be. I’m spreading the word of Tom Hank’s bigotry and I believe that he owes the Polish community a public apology.
That David Letterman episode aired again last night. Tom Hanks didn’t say Pollack, he said…”My brother turned Hugh Beaumont on me all of a sudden.” He was referring his brother’s idea to call the auto club. Hugh Beaumont was the actor who played Beaver’s father on the 50’s/60’s TV show Leave it To Beaver.
I think its interesting that there are so many ignorant posts. you believe that those who supported prop 8 are un american because they passed a law based on their own beliefs. Let me say THAT IS WHY ALL LAWS ARE PASSED. why cant those who want to marry more than one wife, or say they love a minor and want to marry arent allowed to? After all, they say their in love. Because you hippocrates feel its morally wrong! (i agree) but we have to realize that the entire judicial system is built on what the majority feels is right and wrong. thats why we vote, thats why this bill passed. its ok if you dont agree, but look a little deeper before you attack ANY church for standing up for their beliefs. while i dont agree with the mormons i admire the fact that they actually stood up for what they preach. thats america..god bless america
I cannot help but respond to nonblonde, hopefully in a respectable manner. First, I love how everyone says the show “Big Love” is based on Mormons. It is based on the FLDS religion, which is not in any way affiliated with the LDS religion, despite the namesake. Secondly, using the “bad for the community” bit about incest does not work, namely because you are using an argument based on what is biologically beneficial. If that is the case, being gay would be bad for the “the community and people in general” as you say, because gay people cannot procreate.
Secondly, yes this country was most certainly founded on religion; the irony is that those who came here 400-500 years ago turned around and denied religious freedom to others. Using this country’s history as defense for tolerance and freedom is faulty because there is bigotry and bias scattered throughout America’s past. Discrimination is terrible, but Mormons have been discriminated against for decades. There were laws in the 1800s in Missouri stating it was legal to shoot a Mormon on sight; mobs would come in and pillage their towns, rape their women, and disband their communities. Yet people even now think it is ok to persecute them, albeit in less outwardly violent ways. Recently, laws were passed in Salt Lake City ensuring that gays would not be discriminated against in the job market or in housing matters. Mormons do not hate or persecute gays or anyone else, for that matter, and if they do, it’s the people and not the religion. Mormons aren’t perfect, they are still human. It would be nice if some of the people spouting off about how horrible Mormons are and how much they “hate” gays actually looked into what the religion teaches instead of making absurd assumptions.
So if the Mormon Church (LDS) are not against people of the same sex marrying eachother than why did they make the single largest donation to the yes on prop 8 cause? That doesnt sound like a religion that’s not trying to persecute people to me…but what do I know.
Yes, Mormons are good people but they are not generous and noble people. Period.
I vote for human rights, for each one of us happiness, joy and love and harmony with each other. I vote for the people who suffer Aids, Cancer, and other illnesses, and vote for the elderly, and vote for the orphans,I vote for widows, and vote for the gays rights,and vote for charity work, and vote for compassion and generosity and nobility and I am with the gays because they are little ones because they suffer Aids and have none of them who are there for them. I am with them. I vote for Jesus Christ.