NBC Chairman Bob Greenblatt Celebrates Gay Marriage Ruling: ‘It’s a Great Day for Equality’

“The court’s landmark ruling comes after a long struggle — nearly 50 years after the beginning of the gay rights movement,” TV exec says

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - OCTOBER 17: GLSEN Respect Chairman's Award recipient Bob Greenblatt speaks onstage during the 10th annual GLSEN Respect Awards at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on October 17, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for GLSEN Respect Awards-Los Angeles)
Getty Images

The Supreme Court of the United States ruled on Friday that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right for every American, regardless of what state they live in, and NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt is the latest Hollywood figure to weigh in with celebratory words.

“As the head of a broadcast television network and a gay man, I celebrate and applaud this morning’s Supreme Court ruling prohibiting states from banning gay marriage,” he said in a statement.

All day Hollywood has taken to Twitter and other social media to share in the love of the landmark decision, as well as releasing statements in support of the ruling.

“To some degree I’m surprised the decision wasn’t more one-sided because public opinion already seemed to be overwhelmingly there,” Greenblatt continued. “But as the President pointed out in his remarks this morning, the court’s landmark ruling comes after a long struggle — nearly 50 years after the beginning of the gay rights movement.”

See his full statement below:

“As the head of a broadcast television network and a gay man, I celebrate and applaud this morning’s Supreme Court ruling prohibiting states from banning gay marriage — and in fact, as Justice Kennedy wrote, giving gay couples and gay families the civil rights that the constitution affords them an “equal dignity in the eyes of the law. To some degree I’m surprised the decision wasn’t more one-sided because public opinion already seemed to be overwhelmingly there, but as the President pointed out in his remarks this morning, the court’s landmark ruling comes after a long struggle — nearly 50 years after the beginning of the gay rights movement. I want to salute and commend all those — both in the LGBT community and our allies — who have labored tirelessly to push the conversation forward and have bravely dared to speak out for equality and justice for all. And, I’m privileged to work in an industry that has always worked to portray positive images of LGBT people and tell their human stories, which I believe has played an important part in advancing the conversation. It’s a great day for equality.”

Comments