George Takei: Gay Marriage Fight Is Not Over

The Star Trek actor speaks out against the California court ruling upholding the state's ban on gay marriage

Proposition 8 may have been upheld by the courts today, but George Takei is hopeful it won't be forever.

The Star Trek star, who married longtime love Brad Altman on Sept. 14, 2008, predicts it will take another ballot initiative to once again allow gay marriage in California.

"I am confident that if we go through this again, we will ultimately prevail and our [State] Supreme Court will go into the dust of history," Takei told me earlier today.

But what about the court's declaration that same-sex unions that took place before the passage of Prop 8 are still valid?

Takei sees no victory for him and Altman or any of the 18,000 or so other couples who also got hitched.

"That's not equal," he said. "That's unequal. What the Supreme Court did essentially was maintain an inequality…Only a year ago, they declared that marriage equality is a fundamental, constitutional right that extends to gays and lesbians, and now they say it isn't."

Wanda Sykes is also hopeful for an eventual reversal. "I'm deeply disappointed," she said, "but also very optimistic that we will return to the polls and restore marriage equality for same-sex couples."

Sykes married her partner, Alex, in October. She came out of the closet about three weeks later during a rally for gay marriage in Las Vegas.

"I got pissed off," The New Adventures of Old Christine star said at the time. "They pissed me off. I said, 'You know what? Now I gotta get in your face.' And that's what we all have to do now. They pissed off the wrong group of people. They have galvanized a community…Instead of having gay marriage in California, we're going to get it across the country."

Sykes was among a handful of celebrities, including Drew Barrymore, James Franco and Pink, who participated in one of the several protests that took place following the passage of Prop 8.

Dozens of protests have been organized throughout the country for tonight with at least five in or around Hollywood.

Sykes is unable to make it this evening because she is traveling, her rep said.

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