Outspoken comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres just released a statement about this week’s historic election; no surprise that while she lauded the election of Barack Obama as a step forward, she was disappointed by Prop 8’s ratification.3

“Watching the returns on election night was an amazing experience. Barack Obama is our new president. Change is here. I, like millions of Americans, felt like we had taken a giant step towards equality. We were watching history.
“This morning, when it was clear that Proposition 8 had passed in California, I can’t explain the feeling I had. I was saddened beyond belief. Here we just had a giant step towards equality and then on the very next day, we took a giant step away. I believe one day a ‘ban on gay marriage’ will sound totally ridiculous. In the meantime, I will continue to speak out for equality for all of us.”

In West Hollywood and Hollywood Wednesday night, the people — an estimated 2500-3000 of them — took to the streets to voice their opposition to Prop 8. LA county has suspended marriage licenses for gays, and one LAist writer called out Prop 8 supporters in “Shame on you, California.”
Meantime, with Prop 8 passing by 492,000 votes and with 1.5 million absentee ballots yet to be counted, this issue is likely to be the focus of much discussion here on the west coast in the coming days. And Idol Chatter is fairly sure you’ll be hearing more from Ellen on the issue…