Openly lesbian San Diego Fire Chief Tracy Jarman. Photo by Rex Wockner_P
' [ W ] hile all candidates last night spoke passionately about equality, none of the front-runners—Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards—is in favor of same-sex marriage. They don't get it. There is no such thing as partial equality. You either have equality or you don't.' — Activist Alan Van Capelle writing in the New York Post about the HRC/Logo Democratic presidential candidates' forum on GLBT issues, Aug. 10.
'Show me your hose! ... You can put out my fire! ... Give me mouth-to-mouth! ... Blow my hose! ... You're making me hot!' — Comments allegedly shouted at straight firefighters by attendees at San Diego's July 21 gay pride parade. The firefighters say openly lesbian Fire Chief Tracy Jarman forced them, through the chain of command, to be on a truck in the parade against their wishes. They have filed sexual-harassment complaints with California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing, and hope to file a lawsuit.
'The firefighters were also targets of gross sexual gestures to include the following: exposure of genitals, blowing kisses, grabbing of the crotch, rubbing of nipples, tongue gestures, men hugging and kissing one another passionately, many of them wearing make-up and dressed like women. Although the firefighters were not physically assaulted, the gestures were clearly directed towards them.' — From a press release from the conservative Thomas More Law Center about the San Diego pride parade brouhaha.
'When was the last time you performed oral sex on your boyfriend? See, I don't think you should answer that question. It's an improper question, and so is yours. My sexual orientation is none of your business and whether or not you performed oral sex on your boyfriend is none of my business.' — Former New York Mayor Ed Koch when asked Aug. 3 by TimeOut New York, 'Are you gay?'
'Let's get out in the streets and march and protest instead of sitting at home and blogging. I do think it would be an incredible experiment to shut down the whole Internet for five years and see what sort of art is produced over that span. There's too much technology available. I'm sure, as far as music goes, it would be much more interesting than it is today.' — Elton John to the British daily The Sun, Aug. 1.
'I started young, I started, uh—you know, it's like, it's like, uh, you know, premature ejaculation—you know it can happen, but when it actually happens to you, it's kind of a shock.' — CNN anchor Anderson Cooper discussing his gray hair on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Aug. 1.
'Do we have anything in common with each other just because we're gay? Are we really proud of being gay? What's to be proud of in just being something? It mattered then, when we weren't [ equal ] citizens. But is there any sense in it now? Sure there's the tribe. It's fun to be with people who share our experience. But does that have any more meaning than dining with mates who all play golf, or all went to university together, or are all in the Labour party? I begin to wonder.' — British writer and media figure Simon Fanshawe writing at guardian.co.uk, July 27.
'The time has come for the end of the heterosexual, the end of the homosexual. It was just a phase we were going through. And the only people who believe it any more are the gay identity freaks, the religious nuts and the bigots. Individuality is the new black, don't you think?' — British writer and media figure Simon Fanshawe writing at guardian.co.uk, July 27.
'I haven't been in a relationship since 1982. God, that sounds pathetic. But I was so severely hurt that I've never, ever gotten over it. I was so madly and desperately in love that I didn't see the end coming. It was a routine night on the couch watching television, and he turned to me and just said, 'I don't have the patience for you. I can't do this anymore.' After nine years. I still remember leaving his apartment, driving down Rock Creek Parkway in Washington, D.C., thinking, Maybe I'll just drive right off the bridge.' — Fashion maven and TV personality Tim Gunn ( Project Runway ) to Out magazine, September issue.
—Assistance: Bill Kelley
