The rumor of the week is that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are headed for matrimony in a French mansion at their estate — the le Chateau Miraval. Although some reports claim it’s the 50th wedding anniversary party for Pitt’s gay-hating parents, it will ultimately lead with the ceremony for Brangelina, the moment they vowed to postpone until gay marriage became legal across the United States.
Combined, the wedding and anniversary bash are a ginormous, double f**k-you to every gay American.
The notion of flying in your parents to a decadent estate in France, relatives on both sides, the man who designed your engagement ring, along with A-list friends like George Clooney and Matt Damon heading to that party, segues to the actual truth: the highly anticipated, hypocritical union of the decade — the marriage of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
A declaration was announced in a 2006 Esquire article with Pitt taking a stance on gay marriage and the right for equality. “Angelina and I will consider tying the knot when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able.” Pitt even went as far as to pledging his promise on national television on Ellen. He told DeGeneres,” I’ve said that we would not get married until everyone in this country had the right to marry.” In April of this year, Pitt officially announced his engagement to Angelina. I am presuming that his promises are nothing more than empty words. This impending marriage is just as infuriating as the celebration of 50th anniversary of the Pitts — who publicly oppose same-sex marriage and equality.
Pitt and Jolie aren’t concerned with advocacy or even their remote promise to the gay community. This reversal is a more than just a mere disappointment — it is a snub, a turning of heads to all of the gay fans who held both with such utter regard and respect.
Last month, Pitt’s mother, Jane, known as the matriarch bigot, went on record to announce her opposition toward gay marriage with a hate-spewing letter published in the Springfield (Mo.) News Leader. In it, she says she is against gay equality and the Obama administration. For a conservative mother of a liberal movie star son, she took a big risk with using her name in the quest to uphold bigotry, homophobia, intolerance, and one’s lack of education. Her angry views go against everything Brad and Angelina supposedly stand for. So, not only will this be the weekend for the celebration of Brad’s marriage to Angelina, it will also be a party to commemorate a union between two people who believe that marriage only belongs to a man and a woman. Nice.
As someone who has enjoyed Brad’s films throughout the years, it is indeed a let down for those of us in the gay community who believed he would fight and do what he said he would do. He is after all, Brad Pitt, one of the most sought after and notable actors of our time. What shifted? As a man who donated $100,000 towards the campaign opposing California’s Proposition 8 and who raised money for the American Foundation for Equal Rights, some expect more.
Understandably since both stars have six children together, the most likely approach might be to tackle the marriage issue and just do it. But, the fact is that when you are a massive public figure who goes on record to take a stand on something for years, then to do something completely the opposite of what you profess, makes you someone we can’t believe in anymore. This is the equivalent of Barack Obama allowing healthcare accessible to the country and taking it away because he wanted voters in the upcoming election. Pitt’s and Jolie’s actions contradict most of what has been done and said, ultimately signifying that one’s own needs and beliefs reign over everything else.