Ellen Degeneres Speaks Out On Barack Obama, Proposition 8

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by Michael dEstries November 6, 2008
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Ellen Degeneres has just released a statement sharing her sentiments on both Barack Obama’s rise to the presidency and the sad failure of California to strike down Proposition 8. In her own words:

“Watching the returns on election night was an amazing experience. Barack Obama is our new president. Change is here. I, like millions of Americans, felt like we had taken a giant step towards equality. We were watching history.

“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 towards equality 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.”

About Michael dEstries

Michael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.

View all posts by Michael dEstries →
  • http://celebrities.com/ Key

    I have to say I share Ellen’s feelings on this one.

    I’m an African American woman and don’t feel as jubilated as some others with Barack’s win. It doesn’t feel like a great stride towards equality when the same people that went out to the polls in such impressive numbers to vote him in – also decided, in some area’s, to pass discriminatory legislation.

    For me it’s an ice cold shower to this elections ‘euphoria.’

  • jamie lynn

    as soon as i heard that prop 8 passed (as well as similar props in az and fl) all i could think was: how could you vote for obama but not vote to protect the equality of our gay citizens??? wtf happened???

  • Dave Oblad

    I’m disappointed that the Constitution written to protect Minorities from Mob Rule can’t protect itself. But looking on the bright side, losing this battle places you in the position to win the war. Every Supreme Court has so far indicated that Gay Marriage is not harmful to society and the hate mongers have no reasonable grounds to base an argument on besides irrational fear. The Gays will win this in the not too distant future, rest assured. Dave :^)

  • Cat

    To all the people saddened by the Prop 8 win, take note: Obama won because he was skilled, unrelenting, and inclusive in his campaign. Those who campaigned against Prop 8 just didn’t have the same campaigning skills as Obama. So it’s not that people are bad, people were just fooled. If the anti-Prop 8 proponents had just more organizational skill, they would’ve won for sure. Which means, it’s not the end of the world. Just as when Gore and Kerry lost and now Obama won, this setback is just like the Zen saying: “Such is life, seven times down, eight times up.”

  • bunnyv24

    I live in Fl and was very disappointed! According to the news peoples, the reason why they think they all passed so overwhelmingly is because Obama brought out a lot of minorities (African-Americans and Hispanics) who apparently are not noted for being down with “Friends Of Dorothy” due to being quite religious. So much for separation of church and state.

  • Bubba

    i am in total disbelief that we are living in 2008 and still fundamental human rights are being stripped away in this country. i can understand this happening in Iran or some other religiously militant country, but we are talking about the bastian of democracy and the free world. How this proposal even ended up on the ballot is besides me.
    i would like to point out that there is a great web-site
    http://www.californiansagainsthate.com/dishonorRoll2.html
    this site points out who funded this hateful peice of legislation, these people are you neighbors, your doctors, lawyers your churches… i think that anyone who beieves in the constitutional right of our feeedoms should really take a look at this list and make sure that your money isn’t funneled through these messengers of hatred and bigotry.. i also think that a “peaceful approach” to letting them know you know who they are and what they did is not only within your rights but also a confrontation may be a perfect way to solve this great divide…

  • Richie

    Prop 8 should be overturned by the courts due to the (what should be illegal) funding of the Yes on Prop 8 campaign with tax-free church funds, or the LDS should receive a tax bill for the $20 million they fueled into the proposition and lose their tax free status. LDS, in general, are a bunch of hatemongers who have a delusional idea of what God wants of them. Remember/note: LDS scripture once defended slavery. It is unfortunate that there truly is no separation of church and state, where in fact it is quite the opposite.

  • Sadie

    I think unfortunately, there are some who evidentally voted for Obama without taking as an example, the strength of his principles- Obama was against prop 8, and for good reason, why take away someones right to love? As a straight black woman, I feel a great dissapointment that the 70% of black people who apparently voted for this, have not taken historical lessons of the importance of civil rights for all to heart, and voted to disenfranchise a minority group.
    Religion is not an excuse- God gave us all brains and hearts so that we could use them. Shame to those who bovinely voted yes to proposition 8.

  • Trace

    Are they telling us we are not human? Are we not real? We all came from our mothers, and as far as I can remember, when I came out of the womb, nobody handed me a title that said who I was going to be or who I had to be. There was not a basket set aside saying damaged goods place here!!! WHY!!! Because we were all the same then, but why are we so different now?
    If, everyone who is discriminated against were to go on a strike, what would the “normal” people do.
    The number of us who are discriminated against, would out number those who are not. Would there still be theater, music, fashion, poets, designers??? I think this place would be dark.
    What I really want to know is, why do you take take take all we offer and yet give us nothing in return? We just want what rights we were born with. Is that too much to ask for?

  • Judah

    This is not about equality. It’s about a group of people’s belief on how marriage is defined. The amazing this to me about this is that those who were against Prop 8 are name calling those who voted for Prop 8. The hypocrisy, intollerance and ignorance is astounding to me! They’re allowed to have their opinion yet those who voted yes for Prop 8 are not allowed to have theirs! Come on people. Look in the mirror!

  • fbr

    Judah, nobody has challenged the right of proposition 8 supporters to have their opinions. On the contrary, I think you’ll find that the opposition to proposition 8 would be staunch supporter of universal right to vote – even for those who voted “yes” on proposition 8. Therein lies the failure of your analogy: supporters of proposition 8 got to vote – gays don’t get to marry.

    People who voted “yes” on proposition 8 voted for inequality for same-sex couples and heterosexual couples, even if the relationships are exactly the same in all other aspects besides their sexes.

  • Judah

    Yes, but you’re also missing something in this issue. Who defines who gets what rights? Who makes the “rules” as far as which rights get to be challenged? Which are considered “unfair”? “Unequal?” What if an uncle “loves” his niece, and the two want to get married? Who says they couldn’t get married? They love each other, right? So who gets to define what’s “appropriate” and what’s not? What if a brother and sister “love” each other and want to get married? Who’s right is it to tell them that they can’t get married? Too farfetched? Why? Where is the line drawn? To Whom or to What do we draw, create, define, etc. our societal laws from?

    The real issue is how marriage is defined, as by it’s original creation, Creator and design. And that is between a man and a woman. If there are rights that the homosexual community does not have as domestic partners, or with civil unions, then I would agree, they should have every right as taxpaying citizens of the US – benefits, tax breaks, ability to purchase real estate, etc. However, to change the definition of marriage, that is another story with another argument.

  • Elysia

    Why is it that the title “Marriage” is so important to the gay community when its a biblical union, which does not support people who are unable to reproduce to be together. Why aren’t you happy with calling your union something else thats not biblical. God does not hate the sinner he hates the sin.

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  • tim robbins

    “i can understand this happening in Iran or some other religiously militant country, but we are talking about the bastian of democracy and the free world. ”

    why only iran? this happens in a lot of african countries, they are not as open as people think. also “religous militant” , what do you think america is?

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