IMHO "Oprah": Hugh Jackman and Nate Berkus speak out for gay marriage

Friday's Oprah Winfrey Show was another "Fridays Live" episode, with Hugh Jackman stopping by to promote the new Wolverine movie. Discussing current news, Oprah used the weddings of same-sex couples in Iowa to start a discussion on the issue of gay marriage.

While it's no surprise that Jackman would be a supporter for gay equal rights, he turned out to be another straight ally who understands why marriage is an important step (one of many) on the road to equality. But that wasn't the only charming moment in the segment, which also featured gay resident designer Nate Berkus and the always-entertaining Jenny McCarthy.

Jackman compared opposition to gay marriage to the kind of objections interracial marriages faced, but he nicely tied it into a history of changing views about who should have the rights of marriage.

All through history there's been, 'Okay let's not have Catholics and Protestants marry', 'Let's not have people of different races marry' ... Why don't we talk about love and how that's the most important thing in marriage? I've been married for 13 years and marriage takes work and that's the important issue.

Overall, it was a fast-paced segment which included Gayle King pointing out how she and Jackman have both tried to find a way to deny gay rumors without suggesting they would be ashamed of being gay (prompting Nate Berkus to cutely flirt with Jackman, "If you were gay you could tell me. Only me, you don't have to tell everybody else.") as well as a sweet interview with a lesbian couple getting ready for their wedding day.

More interestingly, Oprah noted that some people, including guest Jenny McCarthy, were unaware about Nate being gay until he discussed his partner Brian a few weeks ago. It's not like he's been in the closet — Nate talked on Oprah about losing his partner to the 2004 Tsunami and has discussed gay issues in the past. Thus, it made me think about how we can all end up in our own little media bubbles where the things that are obvious to us have completely slipped under other people's radar (heck, I've had to point out a few openly gay celebrities to my partner months after their big coming-out press tour).

While it's important for us to stand up for our rights, every additional voice of support helps, and well-spoken allies like Jackman, Oprah and Rob Thomas are certainly helping gay marriage go from being an uncomfortable change to the status quo into something that affects everyday people. It's a far cry from throwing insults and calling it advocacy and far more effective at advancing gay rights.