'WE REALLY ONLY NEED TAMMY and me to be parents in this. I feel very confident in us as parents.' — New mother Melissa Etheridge on why she and partner Tammy Michaels chose an anonymous sperm donor, US Weekly, Dec. 25.
'WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE ON THE COVER of a magazine going, 'Oh, the donor is George Clooney!' We don't know who the donor is. We don't want to know. We're in a lesbian relationship. It's two moms, period.' — New mother Tammy Michaels on why she and Melissa Etheridge chose an anonymous sperm donor, in US Weekly, Dec. 25.
'ONCE YOU EXPLAIN TO THE KIDS that there's two mommies, whereas most kids have a mom and dad, they completely get it. They understand that it's love. As they get older, you start saying, 'Yes, some people think that it's wrong and our relationship is bad for you.' And they laugh. They think it's the most ridiculous thing on earth that our being together is bad for them.' — Melissa Etheridge on what it's like being a gay parent, in US Weekly, Dec. 25.
'IT CAN REASONABLY BE INFERRED…that neither the Legislature nor the people intended to invalidate domestic partnerships when they adopted this provision.' — Outgoing Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager declared in a six-page opinion regarding the state's recent constitutional ban on gay marriage, Dec. 27.
'I'LL BE WORKING TIRELESSLY to bring new members of both parties onboard out campaign to lift the ban. I will also be asking for the first congressional hearings on gays in the military since 1993. I know that when my colleagues see and understand the evidence against 'don't ask, don't tell,' they will be motivated to join me in the fight for appeal.' — Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass., said in a letter to constituents released by Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, Dec. 27.
'WE FIND IT IRONIC that a religion whose members are asked to knock on the doors of strangers with a message of acceptance into paradise on Earth will not accept two of its own children for who they really are. Our wish for them is one of tolerance and understanding and we send to all of them a message of peace and love.' — Josh and Jacob Miller of Nemesis in a statement released following news of being 'disfellowshipped,' or excommunicated, from being Jehovah's Witnesses because of their sexuality, Dec. 21.
'WE MOURN THE DEATH of former President Gerald R. Ford, a good, decent and principled leader. Because he espoused true conservative values, he consistently advocated for the rights of individuals and condemned those who sought to impose conformity of thought and behavior. These beliefs led him to support women's rights and to publicly support federal legislation to prohibit anti-gay discrimination in employment. When, in 2001, he said, 'I think they [ same-sex couples ] should be treated equally. Period,' he became the highest-ranking Republican ever to publicly support equal treatment for our families.' — Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, in a statement released Dec. 27.
'President Ford was a great man called to lead our country during one of its most difficult hours. He will be remembered for helping to heal a wounded nation and for acting as a force for tolerance and common sense American values.' — Patrick Sammon, president of Log Cabin Republicans, in a statement following the Dec. 26 of former U.S. President Gerald Ford.
'CAN I SAY CHARLIZE Theron? Yes. Charlize, Charlize, Charlize.' — Penelope Cruz names Head in the Clouds co-star as her best screen kiss, New York Post, Dec. 25.
'A YOUNG GIRL in nyc/meets a pimp/he cons her into a life of illusion/she works for him.' — The View co-host Rosie O'Donnell compares Donald Trump to a pimp, slamming him for letting Miss USA Tara Conner retain her crown and go to rehab, rosie.com, Dec. 27.
'ROSIE'S A LOSER. She's been a loser always. Her show failed, her magazine failed. Barbara Walters gave her a new life, but she'll fail at that also because she's inherently a stone-cold loser.' — Donald Trump on Rosie O'Donnell, continuing their ongoing verbal fued rekindled after Trump stated he would allow the hard-partying Miss USA Tara Conner to retain her crown, AP, Dec. 28.
'IT SEEMS TO ME if I abhor intolerance, discrimination and hatred when they affect people who look like me, I must also abhor them when they affect people who do not.' — Journalist Leonard Pitts, Jr., in response to a reader who demanded to know why Pitts writes about gay issues, The Mercury News, Dec. 22.
'…I PRESENT TO YOU… MY APOLOGIES for this obscene gesture, considered by some to be blasphemous and sacrilegious. This obviously does not mean renouncing the political battle that on that day we wanted to bring to the attention of institutions and citizes: i.e. the necessity that parliament pass the law as soon as possible extending rights and duties to the so-called 'de facto couples' as well.— Italian politician Bruno Mellano, who, along with colleage Donatella Poretti, added gay marriage dolls to Rome's nativity scene in an open letter addressed to House Speaker Fausto Bertinotti, AGI, Dec. 29.
'I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people and I should stick to the issue of racial justice. … But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King, Jr., said, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' … I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream to make room at the table of brotherhood and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people.' — Coretta Scott King, who died in February at the age of 78, at the 25th anniversary event for the Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund in 1998, as remembered in a 2006 retrospective on WashBlade.com .
'A few hateful homophobes will not set us back.' — New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, a lesbian, in remarks at New York's Pride parade referencing the June attack on drag performer Kevin Aviance, as remembered in a 2006 retrospective on WashBlade.com .
'I guess there have been a few questions about my sexuality, and I'd like to quiet any unnecessary rumors that may be out there. While I prefer to keep my personal life private, I hope the fact that I'm gay isn't the most interesting part of me.' — Actor T.R. Knight in October after an on-set scuffle between his Grey's Anatomy co-stars Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey, as remembered in a 2006 retrospective on WashBlade.com .
'I am truly honored and delighted to have the opportunity to swear in Mark Dybul as our next Global AIDS Coordinator. I am pleased to do that in the presence of Mark's parents, Claire and Richard, his partner, Jason, and his mother-in-law, Marilyn. You have a wonderful family to support you, Mark, and I know that's always important to us.' — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, swearing in Mark Dybul as Global AIDS coordinator, as remembered in a 2006 retrospective on WashBlade.com .
'The thing is, I'm not ashamed—that's the one thing I want to say. I don't think it's wrong, I'm not devastated going through this. I'm more liberated and happy than I've been my whole life. I'm just happy. The main reason I wanted to speak my mind was that ( the rumors ) really were starting to affect my daily life. ... I'm at peace with my family, my friends, myself and God so there's really nothing else that I worry about.' — Former *NSYNC band member Lance Bass when he came out in July, as remembered in a 2006 retrospective on Towleroad.com .
'I alone am responsible for the confusion caused by my inconsistent statements. The fact is, I am guilty of sexual immorality, and I take responsibility for the entire problem. I am a deceiver and a liar. There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life.' — Ted Haggard, pastor of the New Life megachurch in Colorado Springs, stepping down after gay sex and crystal meth allegations, as remembered on Towleroad.com .
