Two openly gay and married Hollywood
celebrities have reacted to a federal judge's ruling that struck down
California's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8.
Chief
U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker ruled Wednesday that the law
violated the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian couples.
“This just in: Equality won!” Ellen
DeGeneres tweeted to her nearly 5 million followers.
“We're all equal, and we should all
have equal rights,” she added. “I'm so grateful for today's
decision.”
During the brief 2008 June-to-November
window when gay marriage was legal in California, DeGeneres exchanged
vows with actress Portia de Rossi. DeGeneres came out gay in 1997 on
the cover of Time.
Glee star Jane Lynch is another
openly gay, married celebrity.
Speaking to Access Hollywood
before the ruling was announced, she said she was hopeful the ruling
would be positive.
“It's a wave you can't stop,” she
said. “It's going to happen and people have to just come along.”
Lynch married her girlfriend Dr. Lara
Embry in Massachusetts, where gay marriage has been legal for over
five years, on Memorial Day.