Celebrity support for gay marriage - who does it serve most? asks Brian Finnegan

Actress Charlize Theron, having been out of the media spotlight for quite a while, hit global headlines this week when she repeated her call for the legislation of gay marriage. On the American talk-show The View, she told host, Barbara Walters, that she would not marry her long-term Irish boyfriend, Stuart Townsend until same-sex couples could also tie the knot.

"I don't want to get married because I feel that, right now, the institution of marriage feels very one-sided, and I want to live in a country where we all have equal rights," she said.

Of course, Theron isn't the only Hollywood heavy hitter to weigh in behind gay marriage. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have voiced similar support, with Pitt saying in 2006: "Angie and I will consider tying the knot when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able."

Theron, Pitt and Jolie are among a group of A-listers who have spoken out for gay marriage, including George Clooney, Steven Spielberg, Lindsay Lohan, Christina Aguilera and even the Republican Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. But how effective are celebrity endorsements of contentious causes? Last November saw the Californian electorate vote 'yes' to Proposition 8, effectively banning gay marriage in that state.

The 'yes' campaign, led by the Mormon and Catholic Churches, was based on the notion of religious freedom. A vote to ban gay marriage, they said, was a vote for people's right to live under the rules of their religions. The electorate were asked to distance themselves from the "liberal artistic values that pervade showbusiness".

The message the stars gave was devalued by their status as celebrities; people who are seen as living outside the 'moral code'. It was also devalued because a lot of those celebs were trying to sell something else at the same time. In the YouTube clip of Theron's appearance on The View, she sits forward towards the end of the interview, primed for her 'headline' moment.

Charlize can talk until the cows come home about a film in which she plays a damaged woman overcoming the odds, but if she makes a statement about a globally contentious issue, such as gay marriage, the newswires will pick it up. And hey presto! Everyone's talking about Charlize Theron.

Results from a study carried out by the Department of Political Science at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, suggest that celebrity endorsements make unpopular statements more palatable. But this may depend on the calibre of the celebrity. People such as Theron, George Clooney and Brangelina live in a world far removed from that of everyday folk. There's a sense of 'what would they know?' about the whole endeavour. How can super-rich, über-privileged people, cosseted from ordinary experience, preach to Joe Public and expect to sway opinion?

I agree with Charlize Theron's statement. Without actual equality for all people in society, there is only a pretence of equality, and gay people should be able to marry under civil law, if that's what they choose. The civil rights movement for gay marriage is happening in Ireland at the same time as it's happening in America. So, isn't it odd that there are little or no celebrity endorsements here?

Colin Farrell, by virtue of the fact that he pledged to be best man at his gay brother's civil partnership ceremony, is one advocate. But the Irish media has hardly picked up on these endorsements and other celebs are either reticent about coming forward, or don't give much credence to the idea one way or another.

In fact, Farrell, with his huge international profile, is just the kind of celebrity that the gay marriage campaign here needs. After all, the Irish love an everyday celeb, a star who's got the common touch.

If the likes of Miriam O'Callaghan or Brian O'Driscoll, Ryan Tubridy or the Seoige sisters started making a public commitment to gay marriage, they'd have a strong impact. But it seems that Irish celebrities, unless you count Bono, who just can't stay away from endorsements, aren't the type to latch on to contentious issues. It's much easier to be liked, they might think, if you say nothing of import.

Having said that, I'm sure there are a few Irish celebs out there who miss the day when VIP magazine was knocking at their doors. An endorsement of gay marriage could be just the ticket back to the limelight.

Just look what it's done for Charlize's column inches ...

- Brian Finnegan