Last summer, when Miley Cyrus tweeted her latest ink, an equal sign which symbolizes marriage equality on her ring finger, a public divided was quick to backlash. “The debate resulted in a lot of threats and hate mail to people who agreed and disagreed with me,” says the starlet. “At one point I had to say, ‘Dude, everyone lay off.’ Can’t people have friendly debates about sensitive topics without it turning into unnecessary threats?”
With ongoing hate, the Disney darling turned pop princess decided to put her final word on the tattoo topic. She speaks out on her reasoning in a well-written Glamour article that appears in the March issue and online.
“I believe every American should be allowed the same rights and civil liberties. Without legalized same-sex marriage, most of the time you cannot share the same health benefits, you are not considered next of kin and you are not granted the same securities as a heterosexual couple. How is this different than having someone sit in the back of the bus because of their skin color?” she writes.
And her support extends to her shopping habits. She notes how she refused to shop at the popular Urban Outfitters because they donated to a presidential candidate who was against marriage equality (you guessed it, Rick Santorum).
It’s clear that, even with being raised in the ultra conservative South, her parents taught her the importance of equality. “My dad [country singer Billy Ray Cyrus], who is a real man’s man, lives on the farm and is as Southern and straight as they come,” she writes. “He loves my gay friends and even supports same-sex marriage. If my father can do it, anyone can”
Photo: latimesblogs.latimes.com
