The man who has played the good, the bad and the ugly both in Hollywood and American politics has come out in favor of same-sex marriage as he added his name to a legal brief calling on the Supreme Court to strike down a ban on such unions.

In California, where Clint Eastwood lives, Proposition 8 limits marriage to between a man and a woman. The Oscar-winning filmmaker and well-known conservative is speaking up one month before the high court is due to hear arguments on the legality of the prohibition against gay marriage. Opponents of the measure are hoping the justices will overturn it.

— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.

The Guardian:

The 82-year-old director of Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby was one of more than 80 Republicans who signed the “friend of the court” brief, which was then released by the American Foundation for Equal Rights. Adam Umhoefer, the foundation’s executive director, described the brief as “a microcosm of what we see happening all across the country”. He added: “Americans are united in the concept of freedom, dignity and strong families.”

A recent poll found that 61% of California voters are now in favour of same-sex marriage.

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