Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz asked his beloved, Tristan Prettyman, to marry him back in December, but told the world recently, “We can’t get married until [gay] marriage is legal and equal.” It caused quite a stir, even leading some blogs to claim it was a fear-of-committmen ploy. But Mraz is serious, and says, “The wedding would be nice for our family, our friends, our community — our moms especially — and so it puts us in the fight.”
Here’s Mraz’s explaination, direct from his blog.
“I check in with Tristan about everything! The only surprises in our relationship are the surprises. My answer was no. She isn’t mad. Tristan stands proudly with me in this peaceful protest to end discrimination against homosexuals. We believe this is the final piece in the civil rights movement.
“One hundred years ago women were the focus of this fight, demanding the right to vote and the right to run for office. In 1920 it became possible.
“50 years ago, African-Americans were in a similar situation fighting for their rights. It was a dangerous crusade, and thanks to many brave citizens, politicians, protestors and attorneys, the laws were changed and eventually an entire culture shifted it’s outlook and embraced all people of color – even inter-racial marriages which were once frowned upon.
“I believe there will soon be a day when same-sex marriage is no longer an issue. My kids won’t believe me when I say it used to be ILLEGAL. I’ll have to look it up to prove it to them.
“Last week, Tristan and I attended a fund-raiser for the American Foundation for Equal Rights. AFER.ORG is THE organization funding the fight against Prop 8 (the prop that banned Same-Sex marriages in California) and she and I will be in the fight all the way to the supreme court decision. Once overturned and declared unconstitutional THEN, we will have a reason to celebrate and truly experience the privilege of marriage. And because we WANT to get married, it puts us deeper in the trenches.
“Republican Lawyer Ted Olson and Democrat David Boies were the lawyers that went head to head in 2000 in the historic Bush v. Gore supreme court case that decided Bush as President. Today, the lawyers of both parties are on the SAME TEAM, making them a powerful pair as they both see eye to eye on the issue. Allowing LGBT couples to marry doesn’t hurt anyone. The longer it is illegal, the longer our government is discriminating against a huge population of its own citizens.”