Los Angeles Police Chief Supports Gay Marriage With A Donation

According to the Los Angeles Times, Police Chief William J. Bratton has come out in favor of gay marriage. He not only supports it, he has backed up that support with a donation to Equality California, a group that is fighting the homophobic, anti-gay marriage amendment that will be on the ballot in November.

Chief Bratton and his wife, former Court TV diva Rikki Kleiman, strongly believe that gays have a right to marry. "The Constitution guarantees life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," Bratton said this week. "I see no reason why gays can't pursue happiness through marriage." His donation is a wedding present honoring his friend celebrity publicist Howard Bragman and his longtime partner, Chuck O'Donnell.

Mr. Bragman and Mr. O'Donnell requested that instead of gifts, they would like donations made to Equality California and that they be made publicly. As a result other friends, including tennis star Martina Navratilova and former "Grey's Anatomy" actor Isaiah Washington (who has been trying to make amends with the gay community since he was caught uttering an antigay slur backstage at the Golden Globes in January 2007), have also made public donations.

Mr. Bragman is quoted as saying:

"So many of these ballot initiatives seem esoteric and hypothetical. Our marriage changed that for people who know us. Our love, respect and commitment has the power to change hearts and minds and make an ethereal concept real."

After so much negative news lately it's really nice to see something like this. Congratulations to Mr. Bragman and Mr. O'Donnell and very big kudos to Police Chief Bratton and his wife, Rikki Kleiman as well as Martina, Isaiah and all the others who also made donations.

I hope we can generate that kind of interest and support here in Arizona where we also face an anti-gay marriage amendment in November.

To read the full story go to: Los Angeles Times