Brat Pitt Donates $100,000 For Gay Marriage Efforts
Actor Brad Pitt pledged to donate $100,000 to the Human Rights Campaign's National Marriage Fund with the intentions of giving the group the extra bump it needs to pass the same sex marriage initiatives in multiple states.
The nation's largest gay rights group announced Wednesday that Pitt agreed to match contributions from the group's members up to $100,000, according to The Associated Press.
"It's unbelievable to me that people's lives and relationships are literally being voted on in a matter of days," Pitt stated in an email sent to HRC supporters. "In Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington, voters will go to the polls to decide if gay and lesbian couples - our friends and neighbors - are worthy of the same protections as everyone else."
"But that's the system we have and I'm not going to back down from the fight for loving and committed couples to have the ability to marry," he added.
According to HRC, Pitt is sending a clear message to fair-minded Americans today about the importance of these same sex marriage campaigns in the four states. The letter is shared on the HRC Web site.
"This is our last chance to make a difference. If you're like me, you don't want to have to ask yourself on the day after the election, what else could I have done?" Pitt asked in his letter.
Pitt, who is a new spokesperson for Chanel, plans to match up the money raised in the next 24 hours, the Washington Post reported.
Same-sex marriage will be on the ballot in Maryland, Maine, Minnesota and Washington.
The AP reported that the Washington, D.C.-based Human Rights Campaign said it has spent $8 million to push for marriage equality for gays and lesbians over the past two years.
Los Angeles Times reported that the actor's contribution represents a rare political donation, as he has generally refrained from giving to candidates and political committees. According to the Post, Pitt appeared on a recent list of the most charitable stars with Angelina Jolie. They two have both been longtime, vocal and strong supporters of marriage equality.
