'A gay couple came to see me, seeking my support and blessing. I had to explain our teachings. Another lady introduced another woman as her wife—astonishing. It is the same with a husband and wife using certain sexual practices. Using the other two holes is wrong. ... A Western friend asked me what harm could there be between consenting adults having oral sex, if they enjoyed it. But the purpose of sex is reproduction, according to Buddhism. The other holes don't create life. I don't mind—but I can't condone this way of life.' — The Dalai Lama to England's The Telegraph, April 1.
'I kind of assume everything I do is going to appeal to the gay audience. I'm just a big queen.' — Madonna to Out magazine, April issue.
'I think probably Barbra and maybe even Cher and myself in school felt like outcasts because we didn't have standard looks. Maybe what a gay icon is, is a person who is rooted for—in other words, cheered on—by people who feel different.' — Singer/actress Liza Minnelli to Newsweek, April 3.
'I laugh when I see tabloid photographers outside my house taking pictures of me in sweats and no makeup, pushing a stroller down the sidewalk—thinking they have a 'scoop.' If they want me to look like [ Sex and the City character ] Carrie [ Bradshaw ] 24/7, 365 days a year, I would love for them to come into my house and help me get James ready for preschool every morning and shovel the snow for me so I can wear my heels, tight dresses and have time to put on my makeup.' — Actress Sarah Jessica Parker to writer Tim Nasson in the Palm Springs gay magazine The Bottom Line, March 17.
'They called me up and asked if I wanted to do it. I checked out the show and found out who else was going to be on it and signed on. There was a little hesitation for me—about doing reality TV.' — Chastity Bono, Cher's lesbian daughter, on TV's Celebrity Fit Club, to the Texas gay publication SHOUT Magazine, March 2.
'Question comes up: Is there a constitutional right to homosexual conduct? Not a hard question for me. It's absolutely clear that nobody ever thought when the Bill of Rights was adopted that it gave a right to homosexual conduct. Homosexual conduct was criminal for 200 years in every state. Easy question.' — U.S. Supreme Court Antonin Scalia addressing students at Switzerland's University of Freiburg on March 8, according to the Human Rights Campaign, which said CNN broadcast the remark.
'The pressure and the stigma and sometimes the all-too-casual bigotry in this town made it painfully clear when I first ran for office that I could either serve this community or I could be a gay man. But I could not be both. ... The prospect of more kids and young people making the same choice because they didn't have any more accessible gay and lesbian role models in politics made it important for me to come out.' — West Sacramento, Calif., Mayor Christopher Cabaldon coming out during his State of the City address, March 29.
'I was most intrigued in the debate by the absurd ideology advocated by the Christian Democrats and [ President Vaclav ] Klaus, who argue that family should have advantages since, unlike homosexual couples, it brings children to life. This is the concept of family as a sort of calf shed in which bulls can inseminate cows so that calves are born.' — Former Czech President Vaclav Havel discussing the nation's new same-sex partnership law, to the Czech News Agency, March 27. Klaus vetoed the bill but Parliament overrode him.
'To the religious right in the U.S., Canada is a land where queers run free, able to fuck, marry or adopt anyone they want, protected from the least whiff of homophobia by a draconian legal and political system. And if this isn't stopped quickly, they believe, the Canada effect will soon turn America into a Sodom to our Gomorrah.' — The lead sentence on a story in the Toronto gay newspaper Xtra!, March 30.
