On the heels of
an announcement that talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres
would be starring in her own PSA urging Californians to vote
against Prop. 8 comes the news the gay community has
been waiting for -- she's giving money to the
campaign by paying for the ad to air on television.
The No on 8
campaign announced Friday that DeGeneres had purchased an
initial $100,000 in airtime for the ad. YouTube postings of
the PSA have already racked up 80,000 views and
counting.
Equality
California said DeGeneres filmed the PSA earlier this week
and advised the LGBT media of the importance of
voters' seeing No on 8 messages to
counteract the high visibility of Yes on 8
ads. According to No on 8, when voters are
exposed to both sides equally, they find the
No on 8 message more persuasive.
DeGeneres has
been a vocal opponent of Prop. 8 in recent months. In
addition to appearing on Jay Leno's late-night talk
show to discuss the proposed constitutional amendment,
she took John McCain to task on her own show for not
supporting marriage equality. (The Advocate)