Brad Pitt On Gay Marriage And Marijuana Legalization: Equality 'Defines Us' (VIDEO)

Brad Pitt Sounds Off On The Link Between Gay Marriage And Pot Legalization

Brad Pitt has never been one to shy away from voicing his socially progressive ideals for society, including his support for gay marriage and the legalization of marijuana. In a recent interview, the actor explained that equality is what "defines us" and fleshed out the problem of linking pot legalization to same-sex marriage.

Pitt sat down with MTV News while promoting his upcoming film "Killing Them Softly." During the interview, he discussed these personal beliefs.

"Equality, absolutely. That's what defines us. It's what makes us great," Pitt said about his support of gay marriage. "Listen, if it doesn't sit well in your religion, let your God sort it out in the end. But that's us, we're equal."

The 48-year-old actor then elaborated on why its "curious" to him that same-sex marriage and marijuana legalization are constantly linked in the media.

"In any of the newspapers, the two were always linked together in articles. I don't understand that," he told MTV News. Adding, "There's real damage to drugs. That's not the same as with gay marriage. Since the last round [of elections], they've been linked in every article. I find that curious."

Pitt has long advocated on behalf of same-sex marriage rights. He previously told Esquire that he and fiancee Angelina Jolie would not get married until "everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able." In addition, he recently donated $100,000 to the Human Rights Campaign's National Marriage Fund, a campaign committed to the support of gay marriage legislation.

"It's unbelievable to me that people's lives and relationships are literally being voted on in a matter of days," Pitt is quoted as saying on HRC's website. "Every person's right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is enshrined in our country's Declaration of Independence, but powerful, well-funded groups are flooding the airwaves with lies trying to take away those rights from certain people... and we can't stand for it."

As for his view on marijuana, the actor -- who is an executive producer on Eugene Jarecki's "The House I Live In," a documentary about the metastasis of America's "war on drugs" -- has mulled over the idea that pot's illegality may be another means of suppression in the U.S.

Jarecki told Pitt the war on drugs "is possibly a barrier to keep the impoverished down. To keep them shackled," Pitt explained to HuffPost's Sasha Bronner. "And I thought, well, that may be even too liberal for me [laughs], but we just came off of Hurricane Katrina. We had just witnessed that there was a particular portion of our society that was being ignored and that this could be the case."

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