It was a union of Oscar winners as Charlize Theron and Sean Penn dined alongside Stuart Townsend at Versailles Cuban restaurant in Los Angeles yesterday (May 6).

What could have brought the A-list actors together? Gay rights!

Since starring in Milk, Sean has become a strong proponent of gay marriage. Now comes news that Charlize has lent her support to an upcoming rally on gay marriage in California.

The 33-year-old star penned a letter outlining a need for unified support for the Meet In The Middle For Equality rally to be held in Fresno, CA.

“We know the people whose lives are on the line - those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender - will be there,” she writes. “But we need everyone there. Especially straight people.”

The letter was released yesterday by grassroots organisation Courage Campaign. The event is scheduled for the Saturday after the California Supreme Court will rule on lawsuits that challenge the state’s Prop 8 initiative which banned gay marriages.

Charlize went on to write that the battle for equality needs to be fought outside of gay-friendly cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles.

She adds: “California’s Central Valley population is far more reflective of national attitudes towards LGBT equality - and until we engage the communities of Middle America, we will not achieve full equality in California.”

Miss Theron has previously refused to get married until “the day that gays and lesbians can get married” and once even equated the current regulations on same-sex unions to “a form of apartheid.”