'I'm out because I no longer, in good conscience, choose to ignore the unabashed homophobia that is so cavalierly tolerated within the world of sports. I'm out, because the silence of a closeted gay man only serves to give his implicit approval to bigotry. I'm out, because I refuse to continue hiding from the truth that an openly gay man has as much right as a straight man to play sports or report on them.' — Boston Herald sports columnist Ed Gray Sept. 30 in a commentary, 'Out and proud.'
'Frankly, I'm out because I can't come up with a single logical reason why I should have denied myself the right to live and work as openly and freely as everyone else. Nor should anyone find a reason why an openly gay athlete should be denied the right to play a team sport without fear of becoming a target of prejudice or physical harm. In the cases of both a gay athlete and a gay sportswriter, homophobic athletes always come up with the same sorry excuse to justify the perpetuation of prejudice on the basis of sexual orientation—the locker room. What, exactly, does a straight athlete have to fear from a gay teammate or sportswriter? Any man secure in his heterosexuality should not have a care in the world when a gay man is present in the locker room. ... There are infinitely more friendly and healthy environments in which a self-respecting gay man would prefer to explore his sexuality than a locker room full of straight guys.' — Gray.
'TOWARD the end of this marriage-in-everything-but-name, this wedding-in-every-sense-except-the-legal, the rabbi lay two wrapped glasses on the lawn. One was for my cousin Adam. The other for his partner, Rodrick. The rabbi told the friends and family on that meadow that the custom of breaking the glass had many origins but one seemed to fit this occasion. Once people believed that there were demons in the world out to thwart the chance for human happiness and to harm the couple. So the couple broke the glass to scare them away. No, there were no demons in our late summer gathering, unless you count the mosquitos. But we understood the rabbi's analogy when he offered his blessing. May the breaking of this glass, he said, protect Adam and Rodrick from 'contemporary demons who seek to denigrate their love and deny the sanctity of their relationship.'' — Nationally syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman, on Boston.com .
'Much is written these days about gay rights and gay marriage, about advances and backlash. ... In Massachusetts, we are waiting for a high court ruling on whether the state can still deny what many families, friends, rabbis, and ministers now celebrate. In the meantime, a conservative movement has made opposition to gay marriage its centerpiece of recruiting and fund-raising. One group has declared Oct. 12 Marriage Promotion Week. There's pressure for a constitutional amendment to prevent same-sex marriage. And on some pulpit or dais, a religious or political figure is preaching again that God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. He doesn't know Adam and Rodrick.' — Goodman.
'What exactly is so 'devastating' about the couple who bring an annual excess of mixed olives and good cheer to Thanksgiving? How on earth could their commitment—or marriage—for better or for worse, be a 'fatal blow' to my own marriage? For that matter, how could their desire to adopt and raise children undermine their cousins' families? My daughter, stepdaughter, and nieces, all deep in parenting, only hope that the next generation of cousins will grow up together the way they did.' — Goodman.
'I wanted to be a lesbian, I tried to be a lesbian, I would have been a great lesbian, but, you know, fate would have it, I have to be a heterosexual, which is no fucking picnic.' — Actress Camryn Manheim on the VH1 program Totally Gay, Sept. 19.
'Vanessa Redgrave.' — Everybody Loves Raymond actress Doris Roberts when asked backstage at the Emmys, 'If you had to kiss another actress, who would it be?'
'I think Grace would pick Salma Hayek.' — Will & Grace actress Debra Messing when asked backstage at the Emmy's, 'If Grace was to have a lesbian affair, which actress would you choose?'
'It is so disheartening to see the state of romantic affairs on Will & Grace. ... The show has become increasingly reliant on Hollywood star power to compensate for the fact the show has lost its edge and is well on its way to becoming an anachronism. This year, Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino guest-stars as the ex-girlfriend of both perennially celibate Will and Leo, Grace's new husband. Mira's a great actress—but she's no compensation to audiences and critics who are tired of asking, 'So when is Will going to get some?'' — John Sonego of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Sept. 15.
'My vision is to make the most diverse state on earth, and we have people from every planet on the earth in this state. We have the sons and daughters of every, of people from every planet, of every country on earth.' — California Gov. Gray Davis at a Sept. 17 town-hall meeting in Sacramento, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
'I worked in restaurants for years. ... You know every restaurant has that really kind of snarly, bitchy, nasty queen? Me.' — British talk-show sensation Graham Norton on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Sept. 23.
'Every time I did it [crystal meth], I was like, 'This is the one for me, this is the great drug.' It's cheap. It lasts for twenty hours. Sex is great. You think you're brilliant. And you can drive. Or so you think you can drive. ... I was swept off in that direction. It was completely harrowing. ... It's really up to the person to save themselves. I don't think there's a lot of ways to get through to someone who's on that kind of roller coaster.' — Openly gay singer Rufus Wainwright to D.C.'s MetroWeekly, Sept. 25.
