Melissa Etheridge witholds taxes over gay marriage row | Music | guardian.co.uk

Melissa Etheridge witholds taxes over gay marriage row | Music | guardian.co.uk


The US singer claims the state of California's decision to reverse the legalisation of same sex marriages deprives her and her 'wife/roommate/girlfriend/special lady friend' of their rights

Dan Martin guardian.co.uk, Monday November 10 2008 11.15 GMT Singer Melissa Etheridge has come up with a novel way of protesting against California's ban on gay marriage – she is refusing to pay the state's taxes.

The legality of the singer's marriage has been called into question by the passing last week of Proposition 8, which reverses the recent decision to legalise same sex marriages. And according to Etheridge, this makes her a "second class citizen" in the eyes of the state. But writing on the Daily Beast, Etheridge says that the state will not receive a cent from her.

She wrote: "OK. So Prop 8 has passed. Alright, I get it. 51% of you think I am a second class citizen. Alright, then. So my wife, uh I mean, roommate? Girlfriend? Special lady friend? You are gonna have to help me here because I am not sure what to call her now. Anyways, she and I are not allowed the same right under the state constitution as any other citizen."

She continued: "I am taking that to mean I do not have to pay my state takes because I am not a full citizen. I mean that would just be wrong, to make someone pay taxes and not give them the same rights, sounds like that taxation without representation thing from the history books."

Meanwhile, Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz has said that he believes that California residents were "intimidated" into voting for Proposition 8: "Many people were intimidated on this issue due to the scary misleading communications on the other side. I believe this is, and has always been, a civil rights issue. We should not allow inequality like this is America."