Freedom To Marry

Actor Eric McCormack is best known as gay lawyer Will Truman on NBC’s Will & Grace from 1998 to 2006. Educated and trained at Canada’s Ryerson University School of Theatre, McCormack has been appearing in television productions since 1986.

On Saturday, May 30^th, 2009, McCormack attended a San Francisco marriage equality rally. He offered the following statement:

“If, say, two old guys living near you want to get married, how does it hurt you? How does it affect your life? The gays aren't going to break marriage. They're gay! They'll probably spruce it up and make it a little nicer.”

Nominated for Voices for Equality by: Gregory Disney-Britton

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Singer, actress, and comedienne Bette Midler has won four Grammy Awards, four Golden Globes, three Emmys, and a Tony. Her illustrious career stretches four decades, beginning with a role in Broadway’s Fiddler on the Roof. Currently, Midler stars in her own Vegas revue titled “The Showgirl Must Go On.”

During a recent interview with the Associated Press, Midler expressed her full support for the freedom to marry:

“I’m all in favor of gay marriage. I think it’s fabulous.”

Nominated for Voices for Equality by: Gregory Disney-Britton

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Emmy Award-winning actress Allison Janney is best known for her role as C. J. Cregg on the television series The West Wing. In May of 2009, she won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical for the role of Violet Newstead in the musical of the same name. Most recently, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her work in the musical 9 to 5.

In February 2009, Janney participated in Defying Inequality, a celebrity concert for equal marriage rights for the LGBT community. With this symbolic gesture, Janney publicly affirmed her support of the freedom to marry in the company of activists and allies alike. 

Nominated for Voices for Equality by: Jen Ziegler

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Actress Anne Meara began her career doing summer stock theatre in 1950. She met husband Jerry Stiller at a casting call in 1953, and the two subsequently formed the comedy duo Stiller & Meara. She has appeared in countless movies, including The Out of Towners (1970) and Fame (1980), as well as the television series “Rhoda, “Archie Bunker’s Place,” and “ALF.” Meara and Stiller are parents to comedians Ben Stiller and Amy Stiller.

In April of 2009, Meara was a featured performer at “Broadway for a New America: Standing Up for Marriage Equality and a Progressive Agenda for Change.” Alongside other top-name performers, political leaders and LGBT activists, Meara’s presence publicly acknowledged her support of the freedom to marry.

Nominated for Voices for Equality by: Angela

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Actress Anne Meara began her career doing summer stock theatre in 1950. She met husband Jerry Stiller at a casting call in 1953, and the two subsequently formed the comedy duo Stiller & Meara. She has appeared in countless movies, including The Out of Towners (1970) and Fame (1980), as well as the television series “Rhoda, “Archie Bunker’s Place,” and “ALF.” Meara and Stiller are parents to comedians Ben Stiller and Amy Stiller.

In April of 2009, Meara was a featured performer at “Broadway for a New America: Standing Up for Marriage Equality and a Progressive Agenda for Change.” Alongside other top-name performers, political leaders and LGBT activists, Meara’s presence publicly acknowledged her support of the freedom to marry.

Nominated for Voices for Equality by: Angela

         **Make your NOMINATION for a Voice for Equality today! 

Actor Jerry Stiller, best known for playing Frank Costanza on “Seinfeld” and Arthur Spooner on “The King of Queens,” first scored fame in the comedy duo Stiller & Meara. Together, Stiller and future wife Anne Meara appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show more than thirty times. Stiller and Meara are the parents of comedic actors Ben Stiller and Amy Stiller.

In April of 2009, Stiller performed at “Broadway for a New America: Standing Up for Marriage Equality and a Progressive Agenda for Change.” In the company of other entertainers, political activists and LGBT leaders, Stiller’s participation publicly demonstrated his support of the freedom to marry.

Nominated for Voices for Equality by: Angela

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Actress Stockard Channing is best known for her portrayal of First Lady Abbey Bartlet on the NBC television series The West Wing. She starred in both the stage and screen versions of Six Degrees of Separation, and played Betty Rizzo in the film Grease. Channing is a three time Emmy Award-winner and received a 1985 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.

Actress in many gay-themed productions, such as “The Matthew Shepard Story” and “Queer as Folk,” Channing has been a longtime friend of the LGBT community. Most recently, she participated in “Broadway for a New America: Standing Up for Marriage Equality and a Progressive Agenda for Change” where she publicly proclaimed her support for marriage equality in 2009.

Congratulations to Stockard Channing for being a Voice for Equality!

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Though Australian-born actor Hugh Jackman is best known for his role as Wolverine in the X-Men series, he has held many other leading roles in film, musical theatre, and television. He is a three-time host of the Tony Awards, and hosted the 81^st Academy Awards on February 22, 2009.

Jackman is a straight ally who understands why marriage is an important next step for the LGBT community. On May 1, while appearing on Oprah, Jackman voiced his full sport of marriage equality. He said, 

"Why don't we talk about love and how that's the most important thing in marriage? I've been married for 13 years and marriage takes work and that's the important issue.”

Nominated for Voices for Equality by: Gregory Disney-Britton

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Singer Cyndi Lauper is an American Grammy and Emmy-award winning musician and actress. Lauper has released eleven albums and over forty singles, selling more than 25 million albums and singles worldwide. She continues to tour the world, often in support of human rights causes.

In Lauper’s 2008 endorsement of Barack Obama, she released the following statement:

“I believe we are at a crossroads and the next ten years will determine the future of this country. . . In particular, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community is closer than ever to gaining full equality. We are teetering back and forth right now, and we need to act together to push us in the right direction. What we are asking for is only fair and right. We as a society, LGBT or straight, can show that civil rights are important and discrimination is wrong across the board through our vote.”

Nominated for Voices for Equality by: Gregory Disney-Britton

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