South African actress Charlize Theron has hit out at her adopted country’s gay marriage laws, branding the current regulations "a form of apartheid".

The naturalised American star is furious that same-sex unions have not yet been legalised in her adopted country, insisting she will not marry long-term beau Stuart Townsend until the laws are changed.

And the Oscar-winner even compares America's rules on same-sex marriages to her native country's past apartheid laws, which segregated whites and non-whites.

She says, "I don't like living in an elitist world, it bothers me. I don't want to be part of an elitist sexual preference. It bothers me, maybe it's because I come from a country where I lived under apartheid but this is a form of apartheid and I don't want to be a part of that.

"My ability to get married is a piece of me that I wish I could give to somebody who it would mean so much to. We should all have the chance. It's just so caveman, I can't believe we're still talking about it."

Go Charlize! We also can’t believe that the “land of the free” is still so narrow minded when it comes to the rights of gay couples!

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