He Has Some Thoughts on Marriage — & Jesus

Rainbow flags are flooding any number of cities this weekend — and with them, of course, a reminder to reflect on / bask in Gay Pride. For some of us, this means reexamining the increasing ties between Big Business and LGBT celebration, for better or for worse; for others, it means parade floats and fabulous drag and lots and lots of dancing; for many, it means both. And apparently, for Sir Elton John, it means coming out strong in support of gay marriage. In an interview with Sky News on Sunday, John asserted that Jesus would have been in favor of marriage for all, including gay priests.

"If Jesus Christ was alive today, I cannot see him, as the Christian person that he was and the great person that he was, saying this could not happen," he told reporter Dermot Murnaghan. "He was all about love and compassion and forgiveness and trying to bring people together, and that's what the church should be about."

And he's not just all talk: John also discussed his plans to act as an ambassador of acceptance when visiting now-notoriously homophobic Russia later this year. "I'm going to Russia in November, and I will try and meet Putin and I will try to talk to him," he said. Though not quite so naïve as to believe that he alone can turn a whole country's tides, he expressed some cautious optimism, adding, "The only thing that gets solved is by talking to people."

It's an admirable gesture, certainly — because we all know how even the most meager nod of celebrity support can vault a cause to the forefront of public attention. Another "for better or worse," I suppose, but perhaps for another day. For now, it's nice to know that John — who celebrated a civil union to his partner David Furnish in 2005, and plans to be officially married, if quietly, later this year — is intent on spreading his wealth of rights, rainbows and all.