Women's Eye on Media: Celebrities Take to Twitter to Celebrate the Overturn of Prop 8

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Celebrities Take to Twitter to Celebrate the Overturn of Prop 8

Prop 8, as I'm sure you all know, is California's ban on gay marriage which explicitly states in the California Constitution "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." Yesterday, Prop 8 was overturned by U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, who ruled that the amendment denying same-sex couples to marry is unconstitutional, finding that it violates the Constitution's due process and equal protection clauses while failing "to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license." He also wrote wrote in his 136-page opinion, "Proposition 8 perpetuates the stereotype that gays and lesbians are incapable of forming long-term loving relationships and that gays and lesbians are not good parents."

The overturning of Prop 8 is a long time coming. It was disheartening and downright insulting to the entire GLBT community, allies and friends when Prop 8 took effect in California, placing a ban on a fundamental right of one group of people, while maintaining that right for another group of people. While there are momentous strides that must be taken to ensure that same-sex couples are never again denied the right to marry their partners in California again, this is a time for at least a little celebration. And that is exactly what a great deal of celebrities did as soon as the announcement that Prop 8 was ruled to be unconstitutional--all over Twitter.

Arnold Schwarzenegger