Subscribe to Breaking News
Loading ...Brad Pitt donates to marriage fight; Conservative group fights utility contribution
09.18.2008 11:50am EDT
(Los Angeles, California) Actor Brad Pitt has donated $100,000 to the group fighting a proposed amendment to the California Constitution to ban gay marriage, but a similar check from the state’s biggest utility has raised the ire of conservatives.
The proposed ban, called Proposition 8, will appear on the November ballot.The head of the Pacific Justice Institute has filed a complaint with the California Public Utilities Commission over the $250,000 contribution by Pacific Gas and Electric Company to the group fighting to maintain the right for gays to marry.
PG&E turned the check over to “NO on 8″ in July.
“It is outrageous that a mammoth utility used my money to undermine the values of families in my community,” said Brad Dacus, who is the president of the Pacific Justice Institute.
“Proposition 8 has no relevance to the supply and distribution of energy services to its customers. As a corporation which has been given near monopoly status, its use of money extracted from customers to influence an item appearing on the ballot that does not promote the welfare of customers relative to energy is an abuse of trust,” the complaint states.
It asks the Public Utilities Commission to conduct an investigation and hold hearings as to the lawfulness of the contribution. In addition, the complaint requests that the “Commission take all appropriate actions to remedy this matter, including fines, available under the law.”
Under the California constitution, the commission has the power to conduct such an inquiry.
The commission has not yet responded.
Meanwhile, Pitt’s donation to “No on 8 ” is the largest to date by a major celebrity. Gay rights supporters say they hope it encourages other A-List stars to follow.
In a statement, Pitt said he was contributing to the fight against the proposed amendment “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.”
We have a fundamental issue in play in this nation. It is whether we live up to the idea of equality under the law for all, or continue in the path of always having a minority for someone to hate, for either or both religious and economic reasons.
Past victims includes Blacks, Jews, Women in some ways, Catholics vs Protestants, etc, and now Gay people.
If Jesus came back to earth, he would probably tell the Father that much of mankind was a mistake, and it is time to provide more room in God’s re-education system (hell) for the religious bigots of the 21st century.
GREAT JOB MR. BRAD PITT. WE AS A LGQBT COMMUNITY “THANK YOU” FOR YOUR SUPPORT! WE SUPPORT YOU TO. AS TO WHAT A FELLOW MEMBER OF THE Q.A.L.F. SAID; BEFORE ABOUT BOTH B. DACUS OR/AND DAVIES (one of them @ p.j.i.).
in the second to the last sentence, he said he wrote “unlike” but the word” like” printed instead. so i decided to rewrite it for him.. as he said; “AND THOSE WHO ARE NOT HATEFUL UNLIKE YOURSELF, WANT FAIRNESS IN CALIFORNIA AND THE REST OF THE NATION”. i will go a step further to add not just the nation, BUT THE WHOLE WORLD WANTS EQUAL RIGHTS WHICH INCLUDE MARRIAGE FOR ALL, WHO DECIDED YOU OWN THAT MR. DACUS??? OR THAT JUST HETEROSEXUALS DO?? WHEN SOME LIKE MR. BRAD PITT PROVES NOT ALL STRAIGHT PEOPLE THINK ALIKE, JUST LIKE YOUR TRYING TO TRICK/FOOL OTHERS BY MAKING THEM BELIEVE IT’S TRUE. BUT, BRAD DACUS MOST DON’T AGREE WITH YOU. I SURE DON’T AND PLENTY OF OUR STRAIGHT FRIENDS DON’T EITHER. GET USED TO IT BRAD- OUR TIME IS HERE & NOW.
A MEMBER OF THE Q.A.L.F. (name withheld,due to covert actions). WERE COMING DACUS/DAVIES…. TO YOUR WEDDING. LOL.
IN REGARDS TO USING THE NAME B.. DAVIES, INSTEAD OF ‘BRAD DACUS’ IS JUST TO SHOW YOU ‘JUST HOW MUCH WE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT YOU, B. DACUS! OH YEA, WE KNOW. GET READY FOR THE Q.A.L.F.
BRAD PITT, GREAT JOB! OKAY HOLLYWOOD WHO WILL FOLLOW IN THIS GREAT MAN’S FOOT STEPS?? BY DONATING TO “NO ON PROP 8″?? FOR WHAT IS ONLY FAIR- WE SUPPORT YOU IN YOUR MOVIES, AND YOU SUPPORT EQUALITY FOR ALL!!. WHICH AT THIS MOMENT IS MARRIAGE FOR ALL, NOT THE SELECT FEW. BESIDES IF IT WASN’T FOR GAY MARRIAGE, YOUR HETRO MARRIAGES B. DAVIES WOULD STILL LOOK LIKE IT’S IN THE TOILET, WITH OVER 50% DIVORCE RATE AMONG YOU BIGOTS B. DAVIS! WE MUST DEMAND THAT THESE CHURCHES GET TAXED!!! AS THE REST OF US DO, IF THEIR GOING TO TELL PEOPLE HOW TO VOTE AND HOW MUCH TO GIVE THE HATER’S-” LET’S INVESTIGATE THE CHURCHES AND FINE THEM”, ALONG WITH THE GROUPS WHO “DEMAND FROM THE PEOPLE, AND THEN ADD GOD TO IT – TO MAKE THEM FEEL GUILTY ABOUT IT, SO THEY GIVE YOU THEIR MONEY, EVEN WHEN THEY DON’T HAVE IT. AS FOR YOU A.HOLE B. DAVIS AND THE OTHER BIGOTS – SOME MILITANT QUEER FOLKS (LIKE MYSELF) MAY NOT BE AS NICE OR “FORGIVING” AS SOME. WE AS QUEERS! “WE WILL & DO BASH BACK!!” AND YOU NOW ARE AT THE TOP OF OUR LIST. GET READY FOR A VISIT FROM US AT YOUR OFFICE B. A:HOLE DAVIS! AND LEAVE PG&E ALONE, OR “WE WILL FIND THE DIRT ON YOU” AND USE IT TO TAKE YOU DOWN. LET’S LOOK AT ALL YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS…. I’M SO POSITIVE WE WOULD FIND SO MUCH ILLEGAL CRAP YOU HOMOPHOBIC BIGOTS HAVE DONE (BESIDES STEAL ELECTIONS) THAT WOULD CALL FOR AN INVESTIGATION OF YOUR GROUP B. DAVIS- HOW ABOUT IT?? DO YOU WANT US QUEER MILITANTS TO START OUR OWN INVESTIGATION ON YOU B.DAVIS?? I’M SO F’N READY FOR THIS FIGHT_ YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHO YOUR FKN’ WITH!! (WE ARE VERY GOOD AT THIS TYPE OF HATE/INVESTIGATIONS OURSELVES) SO STOP TREATING COMPANIES AND FOLKS WHO GIVE TO STOP YOUR HATE, CAUSE YOU ARE RECEIVING GREAT AMOUNTS OF MONEY FOR YOUR HATEFUL PROP. 8
AND THOSE WHO ARE NOT HATEFUL LIKE YOURSELF WANT FAIRNESS IN CALIFORNIA AND THE REST OF THE NATION.
SO KEEP IT UP AND YOU WILL GET A VISIT FROM US EITHER AT WORK OR HOME- YOU PLAY DIRTY, WE QUEERS CAN GET DIRTY TOO! **^ THE Q.A.L.F. ^
Brad,
You are a beautiful man, inside and out. Thank you for backing up your beliefs about equality with a very generous and public donation. Bravo Brad!
Damn, good looking, intelligent, compassionate, a believer in equality, a heart of gold, and the money to back up his convictions. What else could one ask for in a citizen and a man.
If I didn’t love him before, I really do now.
It’s about time for the equality of all, not just the select few. GLBT People should have the same rights as all, after all, we do pay for THEIR childrens education and support, perhaps the children should be considered more than a tax write off…..
Thank you Brad Pitt for taking a stand for equality!
Brad Dacus and Pacific Justice Institute should be more concerned about the religious charities using their tax exempt status to fund support for Prop. 8. They don’t have an issue with the Knight of Columbus, a Catholic charity donating $1.25 million in support of Prop. 8. Or the Mormon Church requiring their members to donate money in support of Prop.8. Not only are LDS members required to contribute to support Prop. 8, they are being told by Church leadership how much, up to $10,000 per family in addition to their normal tithe. If Mr. Dacus is concerned about donations, he should look into the practices of the Mormon Church. What they are doing is approaching racketeering in violation of federal RICCO statutes, if they haven’t already crossed that line.
Much thanks to Brad for standing up for equality, family values and against this mean-spirited proposition. Your the best, Kudos’ to you.
To the frundies whose panties are in a bunch over this. If it were you who received the donation, we wouldn’t hear a peep from you. I can choose to stop shopping at Wal-Mart or other companies whose donations support your anti-gay agenda. You should boycott Pacific Gas and Electric Company, that would teach them not to mess with you. Your used to being in the dark, after all your views on equal treatment of all God’s children are rooted in the dark ages anyway. As for the lack of natural gas, ya’ll have plenty of this to spare. Sorry folks, just couldn’t resist this jab.
Thank you Brad – your commitment to the LGBT community will not go unnoticed.
Sincerely,
Bambi Weavil
OutImpact.com – Making a positive impact in the gay community. Make yours.
Brad Pitt is beautiful on the inside and out! He’s putting his money where his mouth is.
Thank you Brad Pitt and PG&E.
In Arizona we have Prop. 102 against gay marriage even though there are already laws on the books banning gay marriage in this conservative state ruled by the Mormon church and a few pathetic right wing groups.
Billboard sized signs are plastered around some of the cities in favor of Prop. 102. These religious crazies truly hate every gain we make. They are pathetic.
We will defeat Prop 8 in California. And we must defeat the hateful Prop. 102 in Arizona.
Mal
Awesome news!!!
Thank you Brad!!!
A handsome HUNK with a BIG, FAT …… wallet!
Mr. Pitt, thank you for having the courage to make a stand for civil and human rights and the generosity to help make it happen.
Dave Wimberley,
I don’t know whare you live, but here in DC area and our Maryland county we have a number of well educated, bright, sophisticated, kind, well-traveled people
attending churches like mine, I guess I am lucky but what you describe and my own experiences are nowhere the same things.
I could care less who is atheist and who is a believer as both types can be very kind and very generous people just like Brad Pitt is.
Stereotypes about both atheists and people of faith abound. Neither group are all good or all bad. Neither are better than the other.