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| MELISSA ETHERIDGE TO CALIFORNIA: 'YOU CAN FORGET MY TAXES' Blog |
No same-sex marriage, no more tax dollars from Melissa Etheridge.
That's the defiant stand taken by the 44-year-old singer in a new blog post following the passage of California's Proposition 8.
Etheridge declares that if she's not "allowed the same right [to marry] under the state constitution as any other citizen. ... I am taking that to mean I do not have to pay my state taxes, because I am not a full citizen."
"Okay," she continues. "There is a lot I can do with the extra half a million dollars that I will be keeping instead of handing it over to the state of California."
Etheridge opposed the ballot measure along with Brad Pitt, Mary J. Blige, Ellen DeGeneres, and Sacha Baron Cohen. The controversial constitutional amendment, which overturns a California Supreme Court decision that allowed for same-sex marriages, may retroactively invalidate the unions of DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, who tied the knot in August, and George Takei and Brad Altman, who married in September, as well as the hundreds of regular people who were able to legally take their vows for a brief few months this summer.
Etheridge ends her blog with a message for Prop 8 supporters: "Gay people are born everyday. You will never legislate that away."
RELATED ARTICLES: • Same-sex couples descend on City Hall as California legalizes gay marriage • 2003: Melissa gets her bride in Tammy Lynn Michaels RELATED GALLERY: • Ellen & Portia wed at their L.A. home
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| EXCLUSIVE: STAR TREK'S GEORGE TAKEI FINDS PROP 8 PASSING "ASTOUNDING" Blog |
Tuesday's passing of Proposition 8 -- a Calif. initiative which overrules a previous state Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex unions -- highlights the struggles ahead for gay couples, says Star Trek's George Takei, wed Brad Altman on Sept. 14.
Prop 8 passed by just over 52 percent, despite opposition from Hollywood power players like Brad Pitt, director Steven Spielberg, California's Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ellen DeGeneres, who wed Portia de Rossi in August.
See Ellen DeGeneres' wedding photo - and more!
"Last night, I was filled with pride to be an American. It was an
exhilarating night of celebration. Barack Obama’s victory was a miraculous moment in our history," Takei tells Usmagazine.com exclusively.
"It was a night of joy, yet, President-elect Obama reminded us of the long
road, the steep road, that lies ahead for us as a nation. And indeed, as a
Californian, I was profoundly mindful of the challenges ahead.
"The discriminatory Proposition 8 on the California ballot was winning. Our fight for marriage equality was going down to defeat.
"It was astounding to think that the hard won equality that made my recent marriage to Brad Altman would no longer be possible for others.
"The evening became bitter-sweet. It is now Wednesday morning – the day after the election.
"The words from Barack Obama’s victory speech still resonates in my mind. What an amazing night it was – the culmination of a turbulent struggle against a disgraceful history of slavery, prejudice and racial conflict. The road ahead is long, the road will be steep, he said.
"Our struggles for equality for another minority, gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered, will be no different.
"There will be setbacks, disappointments and sacrifices to be made.
"Barack Obama spoke of the “renewed promise” of America. It happened last night with the presidency. And equality and justice will happen for us as well.
"We will make it happen. Yes we can."
Usmagazine
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| VOTERS SET TO SCRAP SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IN CALIFORNIA Blog |
Californians voted Tuesday to ban same-sex marriage, setting the stage for a court battle over the legitimacy of roughly 16,000 such marriages – including those of celeb couples Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi and Star Trek's George Takei and Brad Altman.
With nearly 96 percent of the votes counted, controversial Proposition 8 passed by just over 52 percent (The initiative had drawn widespread opposition from Hollywood celebrities, including Brad Pitt, director Steven Spielberg, and even California's Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger).
As Takei pondered the disappointing election returns Tuesday night, the 71-year-old actor told PEOPLE he was hopeful that his Sept. 14 marriage to Brad Altman would be "grandfathered in."
But Altman was less confident. "We tasted marriage now, and it really is delicious!" Altman added. "And the thought that the people of California might take our marriage away from us is really frightening and worrisome and upsetting."
DeGeneres – who wed de Rossi in August – has been an outspoken critic of Proposition 8. "I can't return the wedding gifts," she quipped. "I love my new toaster." Bracing for a Court BattleAlthough voters were progressive enough to elect a black president, they leaned conservative on gay marriage initiatives in California, as well as Florida and Arizona – passing propositions specifying that only marriage between a man and a woman will be recognized in those states.
Attorney Mathew D. Staver – who has argued before the California Supreme Court against same-sex marriage – tells PEOPLE he's confident that the state's 18,000-plus gay marriages will be annulled. He notes, "Constitutional amendments are retroactive."
But Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, tells PEOPLE: "It would be almost unthinkable to retroactively take away somebody's marriage status – it would be completely unprecedented and it almost defies description."
Long StruggleTuesday's vote was merely the latest decision in a long-running struggle between California voters, politicians and judges over same-sex marriage.
In March 2000, 61 percent of voters approved a measure similar to Proposition 8, but it did not go so far as to rewrite the state's constitution, which the new initiative does.
Four years later, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom directed officials there to issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples – which a court overturned a month later. The following year, the state legislature passed a bill legalizing such marriages, but Schwarzenegger vetoed it.
On May 15, 2008, the California Supreme Court voted 4-3 in favor of such marriages – and is now expected to weigh in on the validity of same-sex marriages that have since been performed in the state.
Minter says he will also argue that Proposition 8 be set aside altogether, on the grounds that state voters don't have the power to make such a sweeping change to their constitution – especially one that calls for discrimination against a minority group. For more results, check out the official returns site.
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| GEORGE TAKEI INSISTS WILLIAM SHATNER INVITED TO WEDDING Blog |
Star Trek's George Takei says former costar William Shatner has no right to be offended about not being invited to Takei's recent wedding – because Shatner actually was invited but never bothered to show up.
Shatner, 77, recently posted a YouTube rant in which he accused Takei, who worked with and known Shatner for nearly 40 years, of snubbing him – and possibly being psychotic.
Takei tells Entertainment Tonight that it was Shatner who
was being petty about the wedding, which many of the remaining original Star Trek alums attended – but not the man who played Captain Kirk.
"It is absolutely baffling to us because, in fact, we did invite Bill and we didn't hear from him," Takei, 71, says. "But it wasn't surprising because it's true to his history. He's never responded to an invitation. Every time there was something happy to celebrate amongst us ... he never showed up. – Michael Y. Park
People
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| STEVEN SPIELBERG DONATES $100,000 TO SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE Blog |
Steven Spielberg is the latest high-profile donor giving money to fight California's Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that would ban gay marriage in the state.
The director and his wife, Kate Capshaw, donated $100,000 to the No-on-8 campaign, the couple announced Tuesday.
"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," the couple said in a statement.
Brad Pitt gave the same amount last week to Californians Against Eliminating Basic Rights. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sen. Barack Obama are also on record against Proposition 8.
Since gay marriage became legal in California in May, many couples have already wed, including high profile stars like Ellen DeGeneres and Star Trek's George Takei. – Emmet Sullivan
People
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| STAR TREK'S GEORGE TAKEI GETS MARRIED Blog |
George Takei and his longtime partner, Brad Altman, were wed Sunday evening in a Buddhist ceremony in downtown Los Angeles.
"All I can remember is what the priest said," Takei told PEOPLE after the ceremony. "That this moment will never happen again. It's something to savor."
Nearly 200 of the couple's friends attended the event, which began as a kimono-clad koto player plucked out tunes on the ancient Japanese stringed instrument. Afterward, the couple sipped sake from red lacquer cups, then said their vows to one another while standing within a circle of yellow rose petals. A Scottish bagpiper led Takei, 71, and Altman, 54, to the reception on the grounds of the Japanese American National Museum. On the way, the couple, along with their maid of honor and best man (Takei's former Star Trek co-stars Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig) flashed the "live long and prosper" hand sign to photographers and friends.
"I was fighting back the tears," said Nichols, who played Uhura on the Star Trek series. "But they came oozing out anyway. I'm so happy that they're both able to legally proclaim their commitment to one another after spending the past 21 years together."
In May, Takei announced his plans to wed after California's Supreme Court allowed gay marriage under the state's constitution.
For more details and photos of the wedding, pick up PEOPLE on newsstands Friday
People
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| STAR TREK'S GEORGE TAKEI MARRIES LONGTIME BEAU Blog |
Star Trek star George Takei married longtime partner Brad Altman at the Democracy Forum of the Japanese American National Museum in L.A. Sunday, GLAAD announced.
The couple exchanged turquoise wedding bands during the ceremony, which was officiated by a Buddhist priest and attended by 200 guests, AsianWeek reported.
"May equality live long and prosper!" Takei declared after the vows.
The 71-year-old actor, best known for his role as the original Sulu, paid $70 for a marriage license in June, immediately after the California Supreme Court legalized gay marriage. The couple were the first on line.
See photos of Us' best celeb weddings.
Takei - who came out in 2005 - and Altman, 54, have been together for 21 years.
"We are overjoyed!" Takei wrote on his blog in May when announcing their engagement. "He manages the business side of my career and I do the performing.
Takei's Star Trek co-stars were a part of the ceremony: Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) as best lady and Walter Koenig (Chekhov) as best man.
Guests included U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii, L.A. Councilmember Jan Perry and humanitarian Dr. Sybil Jordan Hampton.
The couple plan to honeymoon in Argentina and Peru.
"We've shared the good times as well as struggled through the bad," Takei said in May. "He is my love and I can't imagine life without him. Now, we can have the dignity, as well as all the responsibilities, of marriage. We embrace it all heartily."
GLAAD president Neil G. Giuliano remarked: "We extend our heartfelt congratulations to George and Brad on their special day. The lifelong promise they have made to each other, in the presence of friends and family, is an affirmation of the love and commitment that they have shared for 21 years."
Usmagazine
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| STAR TREK'S GEORGE TAKEI PREPARES TO WED SUNDAY Blog |
George Takei and his soon-to-be-husband Brad Altman are gearing up for their Sunday evening wedding in downtown Los Angeles.
"We've been living in sin for the past 21 years," Takei, 71, tells PEOPLE. "It's high time we made it legitimate."
The wedding party includes two of Takei's former Star Trek castmates – best man Walter Koenig, who played Chekov on the series, and Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura. (Takei played Mr. Sulu.)
With T-minus a day until the nuptials, Takei summed up his mood as: "Nervous-ville."His partner, Altman, 54, is spending what's left of the weekend polishing up his vows, which he'll recite during the couple's Buddhist wedding ceremony. "This is going to be the most exciting day of my life," he says. "I'm going to be married. I’m the luckiest guy in the world."
In May, Takei announced his plans to wed after California's Supreme Court allowed gay marriage under the state's constitution.
For exclusive details and photos of the wedding, pick up PEOPLE on newsstands Friday
People
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| PRINCESS DIARIES ACTRESS PROPOSES TO GIRLFRIEND Blog |
Actress Heather Matarazzo — known for her role as Lilly Moscovitz opposite Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries — is tying the knot.
Her rep tells E! News that the 25-year-old star has proposed to her girlfriend Carolyn Murphy.
"It was really cute. First Heather proposed to Carolyn, then Carolyn proposed to her," the rep says.
The rep adds that "it was love at first sight" when the two met a little more than a year ago.
See photos of Us' best celeb weddings.
Matarazzo isn't the only star heading down the aisle since California's Supreme Court recently shot down a law banning gay marriage.
Ellen DeGeneres said she and Portia de Rossi will wed soon.
Star Trek's George Takei is also planning a September wedding with his boyfriend.
See photos of other surprising celeb couples.
Usmagazine
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