I heart Tom Colicchio

This week's episode of Top Chef brought the cheftestants to a natural challenge in Vegas, feeding a wedding couple on the eve of their nuptials. In a surprising move BravoTV has heightened it's gay element on this show by voicing the concerns of one cheftestant, Ashley, on the frustration of being gay and having to cook for a straight wedding. Ashley finds it aggravating not having the same rights in this country and wasn't quiet about it. The gay element on Top Chef has always been there but never actively political. This was very cool to watch, knowing how many gay contenders have stood toe-to-toe on the show with their straight colleagues.

It gets even better when Head Judge Tom Colicchio came to bat with recent comments about Ashley's concerns on his blog

"I’m going to go out on a limb and say a few words about same-sex marriage: First of all, part of the problem with the issue is that it is framed by opponents as a discussion of whether gay people should get special rights. This is specious – yes, special legislation or court decisions grant them the right to wed in a particular state, however this is done to ensure that they share equal protection under the law by finally being able to avail themselves of the same rights as everyone else. They are not seeking special treatment, just equitable treatment. Second, religion has no business being part of the discussion. When a couple is wed in a house of worship, the officiant may be performing a religious rite, but as far as the law is concerned, that officiant has been authorized to perform a civil function, plain and simple. And even were same-sex marriage to be legalized by the state, no one would be holding a gun to the heads of the clergy to require them to perform a ceremony that their faith or personal creed does not condone. Just as some rabbis would not perform my marriage to my wife because I wasn’t Jewish, clergy can decline performing same-sex marriages; gay couples can either find clergy willing to officiate or can be wed in a civil setting. The idea that religious leaders are continuing to shape state law is just wrong. The institution of marriage should be available to all. The idea that you can have a life-long partner and not make decisions for them in a hospital, not share in insurance benefits, not automatically have parental rights unless you are the birth parent, is just flat-out wrong."

Tom Colicchio has long had a gay following, especially among the bear community and with these comments may have gotten an even larger following. What a man........