Fred Kuhr. Rex Wockner file photo_________
'I had never hidden anything, and nobody asked me any questions. My only outing came eight or 10 years ago when I was an old man. [ My former boyfriend, West Side Story and Gypsy writer ] Arthur Laurents gave an interview in which he outed me publicly.' — 81-year-old actor Farley Granger, who starred in the Alfred Hitchcock movies Rope and Strangers on a Train, to the Associated Press, April 12. Granger and his partner, Robert Calhoun, have been together since the '60s, AP said.
'I sort of sensed this witch hunt brewing. ... People were starting to ask for stories of other people that may have fooled around with me, and the last thing you want to do is talk about your private life based on scandal. ... I didn't want to have to respond to some story, whether it was lie or truth—so I just made a statement [ coming out ] and sort of squashed the fires. ... [ T ] he greatest ending to the story so far [ is ] that nothing really has changed at all. I'm doing nothing different and people aren't behaving differently towards me.' — Actor Neil Patrick Harris during an appearance on Ellen DeGeneres' TV show, April 19.
'Because so many men who sleep with men continue to have unsafe sex, and so many more are unaware of their HIV status because they don't get tested for HIV, would you want a blood transfusion from me? ... [ D ] espite all of the advances in HIV testing, no test is perfect. ... A ban on gay blood will continue to save lives.' — Syndicated Canadian gay columnist Richard Burnett in his column filed April 13.
'America is watching Don Imus's self-immolation in a state of shock and awe. And I'm watching America with wry amusement. Since I'm a second-class citizen—a gay man—my seats for the ballgame of American discourse are way back in the bleachers. I don't have to wait long for a shock jock or stand-up comedian to slip up with hateful epithets aimed at me and mine. Hate speak against homosexuals is as commonplace as spam. It's daily traffic for those who profess themselves to be regular Joes, men of God, public servants who live off my tax dollars, as well as any number of celebrities.' — Playwright and actor Harvey Fierstein writing in The New York Times, April 13.
'Never once in my 54 years have I ever once heard a gay or lesbian person who's politically active say one thing about anything that was not about them. They don't care about minimum wage, they don't care about any other group other than their own self because, you know, some people say that being gay and lesbian is a totally narcissistic thing and sometimes I wonder. I've never heard any of them say anything except for, 'Accept me 'cause I'm gay.' It's just, it's screwed. It's no different than the evangelicals, it's the same mindset. They want you to accept Jesus and you guys want us to all believe it's OK to be gay. And ... I do, I don't give a damn who anybody has sex with, as long as they're not underage and an animal. I don't give a damn, it's none of my damn business. But, you know, I'm just sick of all the divisiveness, it's not getting any of us anywhere.' — Roseanne Barr on California radio station KCAA, where she is a regular co-host, April 6.
'My Bad. I deeply regret that I have offended gay people. I said things that I do not really mean, before I had thought them through. I was wrong and I seriously apologize! Call me up today and let me have it! I will apologize and try to make clear what I really meant to say, which was that everybody needs to unite right now, and step outside of their own neighborhoods, groups, races and classes to stop Bush's war on our country and our people. I love gays and I hate division. I am just a big idiot with a big mouth sometimes. I will learn to be more careful! ... What I meant to say [ is ] the leaders of gay groups need to align with the leaders of Acorn, and other groups of poor and desperate Americans and fight against those who oppress all of us! I have met too many gays who are Republicans, and I cannot understand how they could choose that! Let's all leave our own bedrooms, kitchens, neighborhoods and groups and meet each other to form a diverse army that stands for Democracy and Economic Justice!!!!' — Roseanne Barr on her blog, April 10.
'Ann Coulter is a horrible witch—you know that some queen is bleaching and straightening that hair. And who designs her little black dresses and shoes? Trust me, it's gay men! I would love to see Ann Coulter in a gay-free zone—she would have coarse mousy brown hair, poorly applied drugstore makeup and walk around in a hideous floral housecoat and comfortable flats. You can't have it both ways, Ann.' — Drag performer Jackie Beat, currently opening for Roseanne in Las Vegas, to QVegas magazine, April issue.
'If journalism is about digging for and reporting the truth, then there is absolutely nothing wrong, indeed there is everything right, about asking and reporting on who is gay, particularly if they are in the public eye or making government policy. To do otherwise is to buy into the still-prevalent idea that being gay is something best kept in the shadows.' — Fred Kuhr, editor at large of the Boston gay newspaper In Newsweekly, in an April 18 editorial.
—Assistance: Bill Kelley
