Elton John Agrees with Rush on Gay Marriage

When openly gay singer Elton John performed at Rush Limbaugh's fourth wedding on June 5, bloggers were quick to condemn the star's "hypocrisy." But one possible explanation is that Elton John and Limbaugh share at least some political philosophies, including a belief that gay and lesbian families should be relegated to civil partnerships while marriage is reserved as a special right for heterosexuals.

A June 8 article at Big Hollywood takes a closer, via Elton John, look at gays who think that marriage is a special relationship to which only mixed gender couples should be entitled, and asks whether a desire to reserve marriage for the straight majority--while denying it to gay and lesbian families--makes a person a gay-hater.

The article begins with a quote from Elton John, explaining the singer's view as to why voters in California repealed the then-existing right of gay and lesbian families to enter legal wedlock. "Marriage is going to put a lot of people off, the word marriage," the quote reads. "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." Adds the quote, "Heterosexual people get married. We can have civil partnerships."

The article, an opinion piece by Steven Crowder, does not address the inherent suggestion of "separate but equal" forms of legal union for gays and straights, but rather focuses on blaming "liberals" for condemning Elton John as a "hypocrite," or, as Michael Musto put it, a "whore." Crowder wrote that, "when Elton John speaks the truth, it disrupts the sensationalized narrative that the media and Hollywood have been setting for years; If you don't support gay marriage, you must secretly despise gay people."

Crowder went on to note that both Elton John and Rush Limbaugh have expressed opposition to marriage equality while voicing support for civil unions. "Here we have two incredibly different people with two wildly different worldviews actually agreeing on something! How can that be construed as anything other than a thing of beauty?" asked Crowder. "Where's the 'We Are the World' choir?"

For a good part of the world, however, Elton John's position on marriage versus civil unions is eclipsed by the singer's open homosexuality. In one Muslim country where Elton John played recently, an outcry rose up at the idea that a gay performer would visit the country for a live performance: Moroccan politician Mustapha Ramid told the press that Elton John "promoted" homosexuality and expressed fears that young Moroccans would turn gay in an effort to emulate the musician.

In an earlier controversy, Elton John offended some Christians when he suggested that Jesus was "a compassionate gay man." The pop singer made the comment in an interview with Parade Magazine in February. "I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems," the singer said. "On the cross, he forgave the people who crucified him. Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving. I don't know what makes people so cruel."

One irony: last September, Elton John was denied permission to adopt a Ukranian toddler, in part because he was not "traditionally married."