Elton John: Where Prop 8 went wrong

NEWS

November 12, 2008

By By Donna Freydkin

USA TODAY

NEW YORK — Sir Elton John, accompanied by his longtime partner David Furnish, had some choice words about California's Proposition 8, the ban on same-sex marriage that passed on Nov. 4.

In December 2005, John and Furnish tied the knot in a civil partnership ceremony in Windsor, England. But, clarified the singer, "We're not married. Let's get that right. We have a civil partnership. What is wrong with Proposition 8 is that they went for marriage. Marriage is going to put a lot of people off, the word marriage."

John and Furnish, and their two cocker spaniels Marilyn and Arthur, were in town for Monday's annual benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

"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," said John. "The word marriage, I think, puts a lot of people off. You get the same equal rights that we do when we have a civil partnership. Heterosexual people get married. We can have civil partnerships."

*I think Elton John said it perfectly... this is how I feel and what I've been trying to say. I want homosexuals to have fair and equal rights... just as being Mormon and wanting my religous freedom, I feel they have their agency and I think they may do what they feel whether or not I agree. But it's not called marriage for them. Civil Union or Civil Partnership is the right title. Thank you Elton!