Aside from having a delicious last name – Paul Haggis is a stand-up guy who has deep, admirable convictions.

You see – Paul got into a fight with the leadership of his church over their support of Prop 8 – and, with a spine of steel, when his church refused to stop all the nonsense of targeting gays for special ill treatment – he told them to shove it.

Cinematical

According to Village Voice, Haggis has been a member of the Church of Scientology for 35 years. But he found himself questioning its practices and beliefs, particularly after its San Diego branch openly sponsored California’s anti-gay Proposition 8. Haggis asked Scientology’s spokesman, Tommy Davis, to denounce the branch. Davis skirted the issue, and Haggis went on the offensive with a confrontational letter that has made its way online on Mark Rathburn’s anti-Scientology blog. “The church’s refusal to denounce the actions of these bigots, hypocrites and homophobes is cowardly. I can think of no other word. Silence is consent, Tommy. I refuse to consent.”

I wish I knew him so I could buy him a beer. Or a car. Whatever.