Dr. Phil's newest patient: Gavin Newsom
Staff Report
November 19, 2008
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| Mayor Gavin Newsom taped an appearance with Dr. Phil on Tuesday. The episode will air Friday. (Examiner photo illustration) |
SAN FRANCISCO — He doesn’t have a shoplifting confession to share or a child begging him for plastic surgery, but that isn’t stopping Mayor Gavin Newsom from appearing on “Dr. Phil.”
The mayor taped an appearance on the syndicated talk show Tuesday, but not for advice from the straight-talking psychologist. Newsom will be defending same-sex marriage, as the national talk show tackles the controversy surrounding the passage of Proposition 8, which amended the California Constitution to limit marriage to one man and one woman.
Hundreds of “Dr. Phil” fans have already commented on the issue at the show’s Web site, beating out previous episodes such as “My Mom vs. My Man” and “My Child Can’t Stop Eating.”
Newsom has been at the forefront of the same-sex marriage battle since 2004, when he ordered licenses to be issued to same-sex couples at City Hall.
On May 15, the state Supreme Court struck down a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage. Opponents immediately moved to put Prop. 8 on the November ballot and it passed with 52 percent of the vote, effectively halting same-sex marriages across the state.
The state Supreme Court is expected to decide Wednesday whether to hear a case challenging the proposition.
Last week, Newsom appeared on CNN’s “Larry King Live,” in another panel discussion about Prop. 8.
The "Dr. Phil" episode, which airs Friday at 5 p.m. on KRON (Ch. 4) in the Bay Area, will also include attorney Gloria Allred, Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese, the Rev. Jim Garlow, National Organization of Marriage President Maggie Gallagher and Jeff Flint, co-campaign manager for Yes on 8.
