Drew Barrymore appears at West Hollywood rally: “I want to live in a world where Prop. 8 doesn’t exist”

God bless all the speakers who showed up at last night’s stupendous rally in West Hollywood. They were quite inspiring.

But sometimes, there’s nothing like a little Hollywood star power to get people really fired up. After LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa finished his remarks, the crowd of approximately 15,000 people gathered at San Vicente and Santa Monica Blvd. went wild when a surprise guest was announced: Drew Barrymore!

I was in the front row and taped Drew’s remarks but the cheers drowned out some of her words. But I got most of it:

“… May (we) chip away at people who put these hurdles in our path. I am defined by gay people my entire life. Children need families, people need to be in love and we have to take steps forward, not backward. I want to live in a world where Prop. 8 doesn’t exist. … What defines a family? We do! Thank you and I’m honored to be in your presence!”

It was a cool moment and Drew, star of such films as Charlie’s Angels, Never Been Kissed and 50 First Dates, has become even more of a gay icon with her acclaimed performance as “Little” Edith Bouvier Beale in the HBO film Grey Gardens.

For a one-time child star who wrote an early memoir called Little Girl Lost, Drew has grown up to be quite a lady!