Pitt donates cash to back gay marriage

Actor Brad Pitt has given $100,000 to the fight to ensure that gay couples can continue to wed in California.

A vote will be taken in November which could overturn the California Supreme Court's earlier decision to legalise same-sex marriages in the state.

Pitt’s £55,000 donation to the "No on Prop 8" campaign is the largest single donation so far by a celebrity.

The actor's political and philanthropic advisor Trevor Neilson told The Associated Press that Pitt was surprised his entertainment industry colleagues had not donated more money to support the cause.

Pitt said in a statement: "Because no-one has the right to deny another their life even though they disagree with it, because everyone has the right to live the life they so desire if it doesn’t harm another, and because discrimination has no place in America, my vote will be for equality and against Proposition 8."

Earlier this week, Pitt and his partner Angelina Jolie pledged $2 million (£1.1 million) to build a hospital in Ethiopia.