Last week we reported on Jane Pitt, Brad Pitt’s mother, and the anti-gay marriage letter she wrote to Missouri’s Springfield News-Leader in support of GOP candidate Mitt Romney. Since then, things have escalated, as they tend to do on the Internet, and MSNBC reports that Jane Pitt has received death threats via Twitter and other social media sites.
While Jane Pitt has refused to comment on the situation since her initial letter, reportedly being “scared into silence,” another prominent parent in the Jolie-Pitt’s lives stepped in to defend her. That would be none other than Jon Voight, Angelina’s father and noted conservative voice in Hollywood.
In an interview with Fox News, Voight went on the record supporting Jane Pitt’s point of view. “Good for her,” he said simply. As a “staunch opponent” of Barack Obama and regular frequenter of national tea party events, Voight’s position is hardly surprising. Honestly, it seems strange to equate his support of Jane Pitt with any potential familial ties, as some news outlets seem to be doing—his political track record indicates he would have supported her letter whether or not their children were a couple.
Though neither Brad nor Angelina have commented on the letter or the aftermath, Brad Pitt’s brother Doug went on NBC’s TODAY to defend his mother. “I think moms and dads and kids agree to disagree all over the world,” he said. “Why would our family be any different? We can learn from each other, and if anything, it solidifies your point. Or maybe you learn something.”
The only thing I have learned from Jane Pitt’s letter is that I thoroughly disagree with her beliefs about marriage equality and who should be the president of the United States come November 2012. However as I’ve written before, death threats toward people who do not share our viewpoints are not productive, no matter how hateful their opposing views may be. I do not expect to change the perspectives of either Brad Pitt’s mother or Angelina Jolie’s father. I do hope that their grandchildren will learn about love and equality from Brad and Angelina, not Jane and Jon. Working on building a future where equality can thrive seems like a better use of time than writing hateful tweets to an old woman with bigoted views, even if she is Brad Pitt’s mom.
Photo: wikipedia.org
