Ellen to McCain on Same Sex Marriage: "Our Love Is the Same"

On today’s Ellen DeGeneres Show, the lesbian talk show host talked with Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain about their views on same-sex marriage and her plans to marry her partner, actress Portia de Rossi, this summer.

“I’m obviously excited and to me this is only fair and only natural,” Ellen said.

McCain said “people should be able to enter into legal agreements, and I think that that is something that we should encourage, particularly in the case of insurance and other areas, decisions that have to be made. I just believe in the unique status of marriage between man and woman. And I know that we have a respectful disagreement on that issue.”

“Blacks and women did not have the right to vote,” Ellen responded. “I mean, women just got the right to vote in 1920. Blacks didn’t have the right to vote until 1870. And it just feels like there is this old way of thinking that we are not all the same. We are all the same people, all of us. You’re no different than I am. Our love is the same. To me — to me, what it feels like — just, you know, I will speak for myself — it feels — when someone says, ‘You can have a contract, and you’ll still have insurance, and you’ll get all that,’ it sounds to me like saying, ‘Well, you can sit there; you just can’t sit there.’ That’s what it sounds like to me. It feels like — it doesn’t feel inclusive…It feels — it feels isolated. It feels like we are not — you know, we aren’t owed the same things and the same wording.”

Responded McCain, “Well, I’ve heard you articulate that position in a very eloquent fashion. We just have a disagreement. And I, along with many, many others, wish you every happiness.”

“Thank you,” joked Ellen. “So you’ll walk me down the aisle? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Touché,” McCain laughed.

“Well, my hope is someday it won’t be called a contract; it will be called marriage,” Ellen ended.

You can watch the video of Ellen and McCain here.