'Hollywood is like a machine with this big maze, and you just keep thinking, 'OK, if I just get to that thing or that award or that show or that party or if I just know that person, then it'll all make sense and I'll be in that place, I'll be there.' And I kept going, 'There is no 'there' here—it doesn't exist.' And I found out that what I created every day—my own life with my family, my friends—is the life I have! There's this illusion called Hollywood—and it's only an illusion—it's just a big machine that people keep going and churning out on television and film, but it doesn't exist.' — Singer Melissa Etheridge ( pictured ) to the Oregon gay newspaper Just Out, Aug. 15.
'On a personal level, my sister and her partner are an important part of my life and our children's life. I admire your group and your organization and I encourage you to keep fighting for what you believe in because the day is going to come.' — Steve Schmidt, John McCain's top campaign strategist, in an address to the GLBT Log Cabin Republicans group Sept. 4 at the Republican National Convention in Minnesota. Log Cabin attendees also were addressed by U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, Republican National Committee Treasurer Tim Morgan, and McCain political director Mike DuHaime.
'I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination.' — Barack Obama in his speech accepting the Democratic nomination for president of the United States, Aug. 28.
'It ( same-sex marriage ) has a lower profile ( than in the 2004 presidential election ) , but it will be an issue in people's minds. The bigger issues will be the economy, terrorism, health care, energy.' — Karl Rove, George W. Bush's campaign 'architect,' to the Los Angeles Times, Aug. 14.
'The fundamental-right-to-marry part of the holding ( in the California marriage case ) was extremely significant, but the court's holding that sexual orientation is a suspect classification was stunning—completely unprecedented. I think it will forever change the legal landscape for LGBT people in the country; it's going to have a huge impact on courts in other states and, ultimately, on the federal courts. We are now living in a different legal world because of what the court did.' — Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights and lead lawyer for the successful gay side in the California marriage case, to journalist Karen Ocamb, Aug. 2 in Beverly Hills.
'The numbers of gays and lesbians far outweigh those of trans. And gays and lesbians pay for our community's struggles as volunteers and donators and we've still got a lot to do. Trans issues are also important, and perhaps they should be included in the overall agenda ( though it seems this has become an assumption of our leaders without there first being a genuine debate about it ) . Meanwhile, any organization that buys into the idiotic and insulting concept of hierarchies of oppression is not getting a donation from me.' — Gareth Kirkby, managing editor of the Ottawa, Ontario, gay newspaper Capital XTRA!, in a July 16 editorial.
'I was born in a small logging town on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State at Olympic Memorial Hospital. My family and I enjoyed spending vacations at Olympic National Park, where our favorite spot was the Olympic Hot Springs. I was able to finish high school one year early due to credits earned through Olympic Community College in Bremerton. I then attended college in Olympia, the capital of Washington State since 1889, where I belonged to a club that spent weekends hiking in the Olympic Mountains. I earned my way through college by working at the Olympic Boat Center, knowing more about boats than cars due to my upbringing in this Olympic environment. Upon graduation, I moved to the community of Bellingham, where I lived on Olympic Drive, until I moved near Seattle, where I enjoy having guests stay at its premier hotel, the Olympic Four Seasons.' — Northwest Bears member Brendan McDonald in a letter to U.S. Olympic Committee lawyer Carol Gross after she forced the group to change the name of its annual camping trip, which had been called 'Kamp Kodiak 2008 'Olympic Village'.' Gross said the USOC has 'exclusive right to control all commercial use of Olympic imagery and terminology in the United States.'
—Assistance: Bill Kelley
