Singer Sir Elton John has reversed
course on gay marriage.
The
Rocket Man singer and new dad performed a concert on
Wednesday for the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), a
group formed specifically to support a challenge to California's gay
marriage ban, Proposition 8, at the Beverly Hills estate of Ron
Burke. The 90-minute concert reportedly helped raise more than $3
million for the group.
“I think I have it all,” Sir
Elton told the 750-person crowd. “I have a wonderful career, a
wonderful life. I have my health, I have a partner of 17 years, and
now I have a son. I don't have everything because I don't have the
respect of the church or like politicians who tell me that I'm not
worthy, that I'm lesser because I'm gay. Well, fuck you!”
“Here I am sitting with a wedding
ring and I'm with my partner and we have a son, but we couldn't get
married,” he added.
Sir Elton two years ago denounced the
institution. He bitterly chided gay marriage backers after voters
approved Proposition 8.
“What is wrong with Proposition 8 is
that they went for marriage,” Sir Elton told USA Today.
“Marriage is going to put a lot of people off, the word 'marriage'
… I don't want to be married. I'm very happy with a civil
partnership. If gay people want to get married, or get together,
they should have a civil partnership … Heterosexual people get
married. We can have civil partnerships.”
Sir Elton and David Furnish entered a
UK civil partnership in 2005.