Brad Pitt Says No To Proposition 8

Brad Pitt has donated $100,000 to the campaign to defeat Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that would ban same-sex marriage in California.

The donation is the largest so far in the fight against Prop 8, and follows David Geffen's recent contribution of $50,000 towards the fight against the Bill. Other opponents include Barack Obama and Arnold Schwarzenegger. If passed, Proposition 8 would amend the California Constitution with a new section that would read “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”

“Because no one has the right to deny another their life even though they disagree with it, because everyone has the right to live the life they so desire if it doesn’t harm another and because discrimination has no place in America, my vote will be for equality and against Proposition 8,” Pitt said in a statement.

It is an issue the star has supported in the past – in 2006 he told Esquire Magazine: “Angie and I will consider tying the knot when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able.”

“I think Brad sees this as a human rights issue and an issue of justice,” said political consultant Trevor Neilson, who advises Pitt and Angelina Jolie on their philanthropic campaigns. “I would say the entertainment community needs to step up to the plate and fight this.”

Encouraging other celebrities to support the cause is an issue that is hot in Hollywood at the moment, with political strategist Chad Griffin saying: “It is our hope that others in the entertainment industry will step up and match Brad Pitt’s heroic commitment to quality and defeating Prop. 8. This isn’t a special interest issue – this measure affects every business and every family. With California’s budget and the national economy in chaos, the last thing we need is an unnecessary measure that threatens health benefits and protections for children.”

More information about the campaign against Proposition 8 can be found at www.votenoonproposition8.com.