Media Advisory: Carnegie Mellon's Timothy Haggerty Calls Proposition 8 Repeal a "Significant Milestone"

Contact: Shilo Rea / 412-268-6094 / shilo@cmu.edu                       

The Story: Proposition 8, California's same-sex marriage ban, was ruled unconstitutional today by a federal appeals court.

Timothy Haggerty, director of Carnegie Mellon University's Humanities Scholars Program and a leading expert on cultural roles for men and policy issues concerning sexuality, applauds the court's decision.

"The repeal of Proposition 8 in California is a significant milestone in the fight for marriage equality," Haggerty said. "The likelihood of the case now being argued before the U.S. Supreme Court will bring gay marriage into a full debate nationally, and eventually make equality a part of federal law. The historical imperative of same-sex equality seems to have finally reached a critical mass in society, making a once-reviled minority an integral part of the American community."

Haggerty was one of the historians on the study that resulted in "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," wrote an update to the policy in 2003, and continues to contribute articles to various publications about gays and lesbians in the military.

Availability: Haggerty is available for phone, Skype or on-camera interviews to share more on these topics.

CMU TV Studio: We can connect Haggerty to your outlet through Carnegie Mellon's state-of-the-art TV studio. Working with Pittsburgh International Telecommunications (PIT), we offer domestic and international connectivity via satellite and fiber. PIT owns and operates one of the largest satellite facilities in the world. Please contact us for more information and to make arrangements.

Related Link: CMU Historians on Don't Ask, Don't Tell

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