Can Oscar Marry Oscar?

N E W S R E L EA S E
For Immediate Release: March 4, 2006


Can Oscar Marry Oscar?
Same-Sex Couples Suing for California Equal Marriage Rights Ask Academy
Awards Recipients to Come Out in Support When They Receive Their Oscars



Los Angeles - Robin Tyler, with her partner, Diane Olson, and The Reverend
Dr. Troy Perry and his husband, Phillip Ray De Blieck, the first couples to
file suit in California for equal marriage rights for gays and lesbians, today
called on actors, producers, directors and anyone who accepts awards based on
gay, transgender, or progressive-themed movies, to come out publicly in
support of same-sex marriage during the 78th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday,
March 5, 2006..

"The Hollywood community has given us a tremendous gift by nominating great
achievements such as Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Felicity Hoffman in
Transamerica. Despite the cultural recognition, gay people are still second-class
citizens in the United States. We ask the tremendously talented people involved
in these movies to come out in support of same-sex marriage to the tens of
millions who will be watching the Awards," Tyler and Perry said in a joint
statement today.

"Nobody will be hurt if Thelma gets to marry Louise, or Oscar holds hands
with Oscar," said Robin Tyler, plaintiff in the lawsuit Tyler vs. County of Los
Angeles. "In the United States, the 'L' word means 'Lesbians' -- but it
also means 'Less' rights."

The Reverend Dr. Troy D. Perry, the first openly gay member of the Los
Angeles Human Relations Commission and founder of the 43,000-member Metropolitan
Community Churches, said, "The Hollywood community has a great Academy Awards
tradition of speaking out for social justice issues. This year's Oscar
recipients have an opportunity to honor movies with lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender themes by speaking out for full legal equality, including marriage
equality, for LGBT people."

Perry's Metropolitan Community Churches perform more than 6000 same-gender
marriages each year. "These marriages are blessed by God and our communities,
but are still denied recognition by our government."


(END)



For Additional Information or Press Interviews, Contact:
Robin Tyler (818) 893-4075
The Reverend Dr. Troy Perry (310) 625-4177