As an actor you just want to work and then you just want to be on a show or have a job that you love and you hope that job will last - those things have happened. To have that platform to then talk about something that is very personal to me like marriage equality it feels like a gift. I try and really respect that voice and not abuse it.

Well my personal mission statement is that we want marriage equality in all 50 states. We want it not to be a state-by-state issue. We don't want it to be something the majority is voting on. I don't think the civil rights of any minority should be in the hands of any majority.

America 5 years after this brutal attack is testament that a Nation conceived in liberty and equality will endure. It is a triumph of millions of Americans but it is also the triumph of an idea larger than any one person larger than any one nation.

Civilization is built on a number of ultimate principles... respect for human life the punishment of crimes against property and persons the equality of all good citizens before the law... or in a word justice.

To realize that new world we must prefer the values of freedom and equality above all other values - above personal wealth technical power and nationalism.

Democracy not only requires equality but also an unshakable conviction in the value of each person who is then equal.

Rosa Parks was the queen mother of a movement whose single act of heroism sparked the movement for freedom justice and equality. Her greatest contribution is that she told us a regular person can make a difference.

Women's rights is not only an abstraction a cause it is also a personal affair. It is not only about us it is also about me and you. Just the two of us.

In order to get beyond racism we must first take account of race. There is no other way. And in order to treat some persons equally we must treat them differently.

But reducing harmful emissions abating our dependence on foreign oil and developing alternative renewable energy sources have benefits that go beyond environmental health they improve personal health enhance national security and encourage our nation's economic viability.