George Clooney To Star In Marriage Equality Play

There’s no doubting George Clooney’s liberal credentials, and he’s proving it once again by confirming he’ll star in a production of a play about marriage equality by Milk and J. Edgar screenwriter Dustin Lance Black. However if you’re hoping to catch it, you’ll probably be out of luck as it’s on for one night only.

It’ll be the second staging of the play, following a successful performance of the play in New York in September featuring a cast including Morgan Freeman, Ellen Barkin, John Lithgow and Bradley Whitford. This new Los Angeles version will be directed by Rob Reiner (Stand By Me, When Harry Met Sally) and take place on March 3rd at LA’s Wilshire Ebell Theatre. The play itself chronicles the historic federal court trial overturning Proposition 8, the ballot measure that denied gay and lesbian Californians the right to marry.

“It is astonishing that gay and lesbian Americans are still treated as second-class citizens,” Clooney says. “I am confident that, very soon, the laws of this nation will reflect the basic truth that gay and lesbian people — like all human beings — are born equal in dignity and rights.”

The news comes at the same time that those against Prop 8 are seeking to have video of the trial released to the public, while those who argued for discrimination want it to remain hidden. Dustin Lance Black comments, “People need to witness what happened in the Proposition 8 trial, if for no other reason than to see inequality and discrimination unequivocally rejected in a court of law where truth and facts matter.”

The ruling in that case is still slowly working its way through the appeals process, but assuming it’s upheld (which it should be because the grounds against it are bigoted and faintly stupid), Californian same-sex couples will be allowed to marry again, as they were for a brief period a few years ago. And it’ll all be because of George Clooney (well, no it won’t, but good on him anyway)! (Source: THR)