Rosie O'Donnell Heads to San Fran to Wed

Feb. 26 -- Blasting President Bush for supporting a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriages, Rosie O'Donnell is taking action and heading to San Francisco to wed her longtime girlfriend, Kelli Carpenter.

On Good Morning America today, O'Donnell announced her planned wedding to Carpenter, 34, a former dancer and marketing director for Nickelodeon.

O'Donnell said she has now decided that a civil union is "not enough," even though she knows the word "marriage" troubles many Americans. "I understand marriage is a word that's inciting people and it's divisive," she said, adding that there are "over 1,000 federal rights that you'll never have in civil unions."

Her announcement came just two days after President Bush announced his support for a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriages, amid growing public support for such an amendment. He left the door open for civil unions as an alternative to same-sex marriages, but said that Congress needed to stop judges from changing the definition of the "most enduring human institution."

Bush's statements angered O'Donnell, who said that it would be the only time that the Constitution would be amended in a way that restricts people's rights.

"I think the actions of the president yesterday, which are, you know, in my opinion, the most vile and hateful words ever spoken by a single president in my opinion. I am stunned, and I am horrified," she said.

"We, too, have a dream of equality for all families," the comedienne said in a statement. "The only way changes are made in society is when people like Mayor Gavin Newsom have the courage to stand up against injustice."

No Spousal Privilege

In November, O'Donnell was in court for a breach-of-contract case between herself and Gruner & Jahr USA, the publisher of the defunct Rosie magazine. A judge ruled that neither the publisher, who initially sued, nor O'Donnell, who countersued the publisher, deserved damages. But during the trial, Carpenter was called on to testify.