Patricia Clarkson on Gay Marriage and Don't Ask Don't Tell at HRC Dinner: Video

Indie film fave and star of High Art and Six Feet Under, Patricia Clarkson, delivered an empowering and moving keynote speech at a New Orleans HRC function recently.

The New Orleans native melded humor with a call to action, joking that she had drunk a little bit of bourbon before her appearance and quoting one of The Big Easy's -- and the gay community's -- favorite sons, Tennessee Williams.

"The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks," Clarkson said, quoting Williams. She added that the meaning of the quote was simple that something hard, cold and seemingly immutable had been changed by "a force that is beautiful, natural, colorful and alive."

Clarkson used her podium to rail against the marriage inequality and the military's unyielding Don't Ask Don't Tell policy.

Watch Clarkson's speech here.