Ted Olson Quotes

Marriage equality is not a choice. It is a legal right.

Gay Marriage is the Civil Rights Issue of our time.

I believe that all men and women are created equal, but it took our country until 1920 to acknowledge this for women. And then it took until 1964, the year before I was born, to outlaw discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. And same-sex marriage became the law of the land in 2015.

Marriage equality is not an issue of politics: it is an issue of justice achieved by political means.

Equal rights should not be debatable and certainly should not be put to a vote of the people. Would we ask the electorate to vote on whether or not Catholics and Protestants should marry? Of course we would not.

Same sex marriage isn't gay privilege, it's equal rights. Privilege would be something like gay people not paying taxes. Like churches don't.

Civil marriage, like all civil rights provided by the government, must be provided equally to all Americans.

The bells will ring and the marriages will begin. And it's a great day in our state for equal protection under the law for all people.

In articulating all my feelings about marriage equality, I almost don't know where to begin. And perhaps that's part of the problem. Why do we have to explain ourselves when it comes to issues of fairness and equality? Why is common sense not enough?

Marriage is sacred and protected and has nothing to do with violating our civil rights.

Marriage equality changed life for people.

Marriage is one of the "basic civil rights of man," fundamental to our very existence and survival.

Prop 8 did something that no other state in the history of this country has done. It took away the rights of people that already were legally affirmed. Imagine someone putting something on the ballot saying your wedding, your marriage is no longer valid.

We hold that same sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry in all states.

It is unconstitutional to deny people, gay or lesbian couples, the right to marriage. Everyone has equal rights so this is the right way to go. I think it's a great celebration for America.

If two people of the same sex fall in love and want to marry, why would our government stand in their way?

I'm terrified to get married. I'm not getting married till my gay friends can.

Marriage equality is coming, and not merely to a theater near you.

After much deliberation, and after reviewing the legal, public policy and civil-rights questions presented, I support marriage equality for same-sex couples and believe that DOMA should be repealed.

Our national media refuses to report that even the Supreme Court did not say marriage was a human right in all cases nor did it say that the heterosexual definition violated anyone's right or that the heterosexual definition of marriage was unconstitutional.

You know, American citizens, I don't think, ever thought that the right to the pursuit of happiness did not include the right to marry the person you love. But for a whole number of Americans, gay Americans, that happens to be true.

Like a majority of Americans in recent years, I came to understand that fear of homosexuality was leading our governments - including the one I ran as Governor of Mississippi - to deny the equal rights to an entire segment of our population that are afforded all of us under the Constitution.

I think same sex couples should be able to get married.

I don't think marriage is a civil right, but I think that being able to transfer property is a civil right.

I believe that what is legislated bleeds down into everything. So if the legislation continues to uphold anything that doesn't support equal rights and civil rights, that bleeds down into Matthew Shepard being murdered.