Voice for Equality: P.J. Benjamin
Posted on May 22, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Stage actor P.J. Benjamin is most well known for starring as the Wizard in the Broadway musical Wicked. Other credits include the Broadway revival of Chicago, Wind in the Willows, and The Pajama Game.
In February of 2009, Benjamin was a featured performer at Defying Inequality, a Broadway concert and fundraiser in the name of marriage equality. Benjamin’s presence is indicative of his ongoing support of gay rights the freedom to marry.
Freedom to Marry is proud to salute P.J. Benjamin as a Voice for Equality!
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Voice for Equality: Shoshana Bean
Posted on May 22, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Stage actress and singer Shoshana Bean is best known for playing Elphaba in the Broadway musical Wicked. Since leaving Wicked, Bean has been recording background vocals for various film soundtracks and recently released her debut album, Superhero. In the early 2000s, Bean was an original cast member in the Tony Award-winning production of Hairspray, originating the role of Sheley and understudying the roles of Tracy Turnblad, Velma Von Tussle, and Penny Pingleton.
On February 23, 2009, Bean attended Defying Inequality, a Broadway benefit concert and fundraiser for several organizations actively striving for marriage equality. Alongside other top-name performers, political leaders and LGBT activists, Larkin’s presence publicly acknowledged her support of the freedom to marry.
Freedom to Marry is proud to salute Shoshana Bean as a Voice for Equality!
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Voice for Equality: Leigh Ann Larkin
Posted on May 22, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Leigh Ann Larkin made her Broadway debut in Gypsy, alongside Patti LuPone, Boyd Gaines, Laura Benanti, and an ensemble of talented cast members. When Gypsy closed in early 2009, Larkin booked appearances on two different television series: Lipstick Jungle and Flight of the Conchords.
On February 23, 2009, Larkin attended Defying Inequality, a Broadway benefit concert and fundraiser for several organizations actively striving for marriage equality. Alongside other top-name performers, political leaders and LGBT activists, Larkin’s presence publicly acknowledged her support of the freedom to marry.
Freedom to Marry is proud to salute Leigh Ann Larkin as a Voice for Equality!
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Voice for Equality: Matt Alber
Posted on May 22, 2009 at 11:56 am
Matt Alber is an openly gay singer/songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. His most recent album, “Hide Nothing,” was released on the heels of five years, seven albums and two Grammy Awards as a soprano in America’s premier classical a cappella ensemble, Chanticleer.
On February 23, 2009, Alber was a featured performer at Defying Inequality, a Broadway benefit concert and fundraiser for several organizations actively striving for marriage equality. With Alber’s help, Defying Inequality raised over $400,000 for the fight for equal rights.
Freedom to Marry is proud to salute Matt Alber as a Voice for Equality!
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Jay Leno: Freedom to Marry Hugely Successful in Massachusetts
Posted on May 21, 2009 at 10:48 am
May 20, 2009
From Leno's opening monologue: You know there's a new study out that says that gay marriage in Massachusetts has been so successful it's pumped $111 million into the state's economy. It's been so good for the state that they've renamed Bunker Hill -- the new name: Brokeback Mountain! Check out Jay's delivery on hulu.com when the episode is posted.
Voice for Equality: Richard Gere
Posted on May 16, 2009 at 05:27 pm
Actor Richard Gere came to prominence in 1980 in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and sex symbol. He later starred in several blockbusters, including An Officer and a Gentleman, Pretty Woman, Primal Fear, and Chicago, for which he won aGolden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award.
On May 30, 2009, Gere spoke out for same-sex rights in support of his gay brother. Accroding to Gere, there is “no reason” why individuals like his younger brother David should be denied the same rights as straight couples. He said,
"My brother is gay and he got married in that brief period when gay marriage was allowed in California. He has two great kids and is a wonderful father."
Nominated for Voices for Equality by: Scott
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Voice for Equality: Tony Kushner
Posted on May 16, 2009 at 05:16 pm
Tony Kushner is an American playwright and screenwriter, best known for his play Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1992 for Angels in America, which he later adapted into a screenplay for what would become the Emmy Award-winning HBO miniseries. Other plays include Hydriotaphia, Slavs!: Thinking About the Longstanding Problems of Virtue and Happiness, A Bright Room Called Day, Homebody/Kabul, and the book for the musical Caroline, or Change.
In a June 15, 2009, interview with CNN, Kushner expressed his unequivocal support for the freedom to marry. He said:
“It's a 14th Amendment issue. There's no argument about it. We are citizens of the United States. Citizens of the United States are guaranteed equal protection under the law by the 14th Amendment, and that's the end of -- as the brilliant decision by the Iowa Supreme Court just said -- it's kind of the end of the discussion. You can't treat people differently. It's unconstitutional, and we want to be given our rights as citizens.”
Nominated for Voices for Equality by: Megan
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Voice for Equality: Cynthia Nixon
Posted on May 16, 2009 at 11:50 am
Although her resume contains everything from Broadway to Hollywood, actress Cynthia Nixon is best knoiwn for her role as lawyer Miranda Hobbes in HBO's Sex and City. More recently, Nixon has made headlines for publicly acknowledging her relationship with educational activist Christine Marinoni.
On May 17, 2009, Nixon announced at New York City marriage equality rally that she and Marinoni are engaged to be married. She then addressed those who claim marriage equality erodes “traditional values”:
"How will my girlfriend and I getting married have any effect on you or your wife, or you or your husband... the right to marry is about us. It is only about you to the extent that you have to live with yourself knowing that you are depriving a significant portion of the population their basic civil rights."
Nominated for Voices for Equality by: Chaya
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Voice for Equality: Jane Fonda
Posted on May 16, 2009 at 11:45 am
Actress Jane Fonda rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards, as well as countless Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. In April, 1991, after three decades in film, Fonda announced her retirement. In May 2005, however, she returned to the screen with box office success Monster-In-Law and Georgia Rule.
Fonda has been active in a variety of political causes, and marriage equality marks no exception. On February 23, 2009, Fonda attended Defying Inequality, a Broadway benefit concert and fundraiser for several organizations actively striving for marriage equality.
Nominated for Voices for Equality by: Audrey Ebert
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Voice for Equality: Rob Thomas
Posted on May 16, 2009 at 11:34 am
Rob Thomas has over 45 million albums as the lead singer of Matchbox Twenty. As a solo artist, he has released two CDs and earned three Grammy Awards. In 2004, the Songwriters Hall of Fame awarded Thomas its first Starlight Awardm, which recognizes young musicians destined for greatness.
In a May 2009 Huffington Post Article, Thomas wrote:
“I'm writing about basic civil rights. We've been here before, fighting for the rights of African Americans or women to vote, or the rights of Jewish Americans to worship as they see fit. And, just as whites fought for African Americans or Christians for Jewish Americans, straight people must stand up and be a voice for gay people…. A marriage is about life. It's about a commitment. And this argument is about allowing people to have the right to make that commitment, even if it doesn't make sense to you. Anything else falls under the category of ‘separate but equal’ and we know how that works out.”
Nominated for Voices for Equality by: Angela
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