Harvey Fierstein on Gay Marriage Decision: 'Idiots Like Bill Maher' Don't Understand Why the Arts Matter

KINKY BOOTS book writer and Broadway star Harvey Fierstein penned a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter following today's Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage. He credits the arts for introducing society to the values and ideas that made this morning's ruling possible.

"Art can allow the perspective to view life from a safer perspective and gain new understanding," Fierstein wrote. "Arts make the political personal."

He continued: "The arts, in all media, are more influential and necessary to a nation of thinkers than any informational talk show or newspaper. Idiots like Bill Maher who call for the cutting of funds to the NEA as non-essential simply have no idea of how important the arts are in defining and shaping the political dialog. The arts not only define who we are as a society, they give perspective and illumination to ideas that might not otherwise be heard."

And on how the arts led to today's victory, Fierstein emphasized: "...this speedy war whose victory we celebrate today was fought in theaters, art galleries, in TV sitcoms, Hollywood movies and on and on."

Tony winner Fierstein counts CASA VALENTINA, KINKY BOOTS, NEWSIES, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, A CATERED AFFAIR, LEGS DIAMOND, SAFE SEX and TORCH SONG TRILOGY (which he also references in the column) among his Broadway writing credits. He also starred in Broadway's FIDDLER ON THE ROOF and HAIRSPRAY.

This morning, the Supreme Court ruled that the 14th Amendment requires individual states to license a same-sex marriage. The nine justices reviewed an appellate court's decision to uphold gay marriage bans in Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. The landmark ruling was a 5-4 decision with the majority opinion written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, who declared, "From their beginning to their most recent page, the annals of human history reveal the transcendent importance of marriage."

Earlier today, Fierstein reacted to the news via Twitter, saying: "We stand in the sunlight of a new day, the clouds of inequality r in retreat & in their stead American's rainbow 'equal justice for all'."

Pictured: KINKY BOOTS star Billy Porter and Harvey Fierstein at last year's Tonys party at The Carlyle. Photo by Little Fang Photos.