Out singer Melissa Etheridge has
applauded a Supreme Court decision that effectively legalized
marriage equality in 11 states.
The high court on Monday allowed lower
court orders striking down marriage bans in five states to stand when
it refused to hear appeals in the cases.
Etheridge, who is promoting her latest
studio album This
is M.E., discussed the issue with Entertainment Tonight's
Nancy O'Dell and guest co-host LL Cool J.
“It's natural,” she said of the
decision. “We have been in a process in the last 20 years of
trying to take the 'ew' out of it. Of normalizing something that –
I know when I was a kid, it was criminal. You were mentally ill or
something.”
“It takes time,” she added. “And
it's about love. We're not hurting anybody.”
On her recent marriage to Linda Wallen,
the creator of Showtime's Nurse Jackie, Etheridge said: “I've
never been happier or healthier.” (The video is embedded on this
page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
(Related: Melissa
Etheridge: I married my best friend.)