'Just because he doesn't bat for the team doesn't mean he doesn't go to bat for gay rights. He's here. He's not queer. But we're used to it.' — Will & Grace actress Megan Mullally introducing Chicago Mayor Richard Daley at the Gay Games opening ceremonies July 16 at Soldier Field.
'Let there be no doubt that there will be a time, perhaps not long from now, when Americans will shake their heads that such bigotry against gays and lesbians could prevail in the early years of the 21st century. The arguments against allowing same-sex couples to marry will then seem as universally ludicrous as the notion that anyone in modern history could defend segregated schools, separate drinking fountains or prohibitions on mixed-race marriages. The curious logic behind last week's New York Court of Appeals ruling against same-sex marriage was reminiscent of the rationalizations to preserve Jim Crow laws right up to the 1964 passage of the Civil Rights Act.' — San Francisco Chronicle editorial, July 10.
'It took the Supreme Court until 1967—1967!—to strike down odiously racist anti-miscegenation laws. Someday we'll look back on the anti-gay-marriage hysteria with the same revulsion.' — Los Angeles Times editorial, July 10.
'New York's top court rules gays can't marry 'cause heterosexual unions are too unstable! The bizarre ... ruling on July 6 actually declared that lawmakers could rationally believe that because man-woman 'relationships are all too often casual or temporary' they require a special 'inducement in the form of marriage and its attendant benefits' for them to commit for the welfare of accidentally conceived children. Despite the myth that gay couples are the unstable, irresponsible ones, the court weirdly concluded that because gay couples' children are wanted and planned—not 'a result of accident or impulse'—those of us who're gay can legally be denied marriage licenses in New York state.' — Syndicated lesbian columnist Deb Price, July 10.
'Today's tortured and intellectually strained decision is beyond disappointing. It is insulting to gay and lesbian people and our families. ... It is a disgrace to the constitution and the people of New York. The majority opinion offers utterly absurd reasons why the Legislature could choose to limit marriage to opposite sex couples.' — National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Matt Foreman after New York state's highest court ruled 4-2 July 6 that the state ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional—and punted the question of any change in law to the Legislature.