Portia de Rossi speaks for gay marriage equality on The View (Video)

By April MacIntyre Dec 5, 2009, 23:46 GMT

Marriage for everyone - Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres - 36th Annual Daytime EMMY Awards - Arrivals - Orpheum Theatre - Los Angeles, CA. USA © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

Ellen DeGeneres' wife Portia de Rossi appeared on The View this past week and spoke out for gay marriage.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck asked Portia on Friday whether the use of the word marriage for gays was akin to women wanting to be called men in an equal rights argument.

"Take men and women. Women want all the rights of men, but they're not asking to be called men," Elisabeth said. "Do you think...is the word [marriage] more important than the rights?"

"No, of course the word isn't more important than the rights," Portia responded. "Without the word, we don't have equal rights."

Portia added, "Marriage the word actually does mean something because people who see a gay coupling as a lesser thing in society can continue to [think] it's lesser than marriage when really it's the exact same thing. The exact same love, the exact same commitment, love of family."

Portia and Ellen were married in August 2008, before California's Prop 8 reversed the legality of same-sex marriage. 

Five states recognize gay marriages, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Iowa. Those changes in law came via court or legislative action. New Jersey would become the most populous state to vote in marriage for all, regardless of sexual preference.

Gay marriage initiatives have lost in 31 states where it was placed on the ballot.