Melissa Etheridge Pissed at Prop 8, Says No to State Taxes

Rocker Melissa Etheridge let out some post-election steam by asserting that she’ll refuse to pay state taxes now that 51 percent of California’s electorate voted that she and her wife Tammy Lynn Michaels are “second class citizens” when they voted in favor of Prop. 8, the measure that re-bans same-sex marriage in the state.

“I get it. 51 percent of you think that I am a second class citizen. Alright then. So my wife, uh I mean, roommate? Girlfriend? Special lady friend? You are gonna have to help me here because I am not sure what to call her now,” Etheridge wrote for The Daily Beast. “Anyways, she and I are not allowed the same right under the state constitution as any other citizen. Okay, so I am taking that to mean I do not have to pay my state taxes because I am not a full citizen. I mean that would just be wrong, to make someone pay taxes and not give them the same rights, sounds sort of like that taxation without representation thing from the history books.”

Etheridge wrote that there’s plenty she can do with the extra half million she’ll keep if she doesn’t pay taxes to the state that doesn’t consider her a full citizen. She went on to point out that other gay and lesbian Californians of means should also refuse to pay their taxes including, arguably the most famous face for gay marriage, Ellen Degeneres.

"Oh, and I am sure Ellen will be a little excited to keep her bazillion bucks that she pays in taxes too. Wow, come to think of it, there are quite a few of us fortunate gay folks that will be having some extra cash this year,” Etheridge blogged.

Etheridge then asked if it was the 'Yes on 8' campaign’s scare tactics that swayed voters to legislate against her and her wife Tammy Lynn Michaels and gay and lesbian people everywhere.

"When did it become okay to legislate morality?” she asked. “I got news for them, someday your child is going to come home and ask you what a gay person is. Gay people are born everyday. You will never legislate that away.”

Despite her apparent ire with Prop. 8’s passage, Etheridge ended her rant with hope, remarking on Barack Obama’s historic win.

“Obama has been elected president. This crazy fearful insanity will end soon. This great state and this great country of ours will finally come to the understanding that there is no 'them'. We are one,” she wrote. “Today the gay citizenry of this state will pick themselves up and dust themselves off and do what we have been doing for years.”