"People magazine put us on the cover when we got married. And that felt like something big happened. That felt really good to me, that they could show two very happy gay people. ... I feel like we kind of get all the same stuff that any heterosexual couple would get in the public eye. And that is great, that is wonderful." — Actress Portia de Rossi ( pictured ) , who is married to Ellen DeGeneres, to the Los Angeles Times, March 15.
"Oh, no ( I don't think homosexuality is a choice ) . I don't think I've ever really subscribed to that view, that you can turn it on and off like a water tap. Um, you know, I think that there's a whole lot that goes into the makeup of an individual that, uh, you just can't simply say, oh, like, 'Tomorrow morning I'm gonna stop being gay.' It's like saying, 'Tomorrow morning I'm gonna stop being black.' ... I mean, I think that's the prevailing view at this point, and I know that there's some out there who think that you can absolutely make that choice. And maybe some people have. I don't know, I can't say. Until we can give a definitive answer one way or the other, I think we should respect that." — Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele to GQ, March 12.
"I have been, um, supportive of a lot of my friends who are gay in some of the core things that they believe are important to them. You know, the ability to be able to share in the information of your partner, to have the ability to—particularly in times of crisis—to manage their affairs and to help them through that as others—you know, as family members or others—would be able to do. I just draw the line at the gay marriage. And that's not antigay, no. Heck no! It's just that, you know, from my faith tradition and upbringing, I believe that marriage—that institution, the sanctity of it—is reserved for a man and a woman. That's just my view. And I'm not gonna jump up and down and beat people upside the head about it, and tell gays that they're wrong for wanting to aspire to that, and all of that craziness. That's why I believe that the states should have an opportunity to address that issue." — Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele to GQ, March 12.
"I don't like mucking around with the Constitution. I'm sorry, I just don't. I think, you know, in a pluralistic, dynamic society as the one that we have, every five years you can have a constitutional convention about something, you know? I don't think we should be, you know, dancing around and trying to amend it every time I've got a social issue ( such as same-sex marriage ) or a political issue or a business issue that I want to get addressed. Having said that, I think that the states are the best laboratory, the best place for those decisions to be made, because they will then reflect the majority of the community in which the issue is raised. And that's exactly what a republic is all about." — Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele to GQ, March 12.
"I went to boarding school Southern, religious, and straight, and I left boarding school not being at all religious and not being straight." — Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, 25, to the magazine Fast Company, April issue.
"During their campaign, the Yes-on-8 people hit us with a sledgehammer and our side hit back with a slingshot. The time for candlelight vigils is over." — California marriage case plaintiff Robin Tyler to wowowow.com ( The Women on the Web ) , March 11.
"How can you argue separate is not equal and then argue that separate *is* equal—but only if you're gay? It's everything I'm not." — San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom speaking at the city's Commonwealth Club, March 11.
" ( Yes on 8 campaign manager Frank ) Schubert says the 'No on 8' loss has 'pretty much obliterated' the gay leadership structure in California, so it's 'difficult to know what the other side will do, since there isn't anyone in charge anymore. The evidence of that,' Schubert further explains, 'is that you have all of these grassroots groups getting involved without any input from the usual gay leaders.'" — LA Weekly, March 11.
"It's such a personal thing, and I don't think it does anybody any good to out people or force them out of the closet. I don't see the point. It can still be very difficult in this business, so I'm sympathetic to that. You hear rumors and gossip, but nobody really knows except that person, and it's ultimately up to them. Now, there are times when the press goes easier on or is more forgiving of someone, and I say, 'How come he got a free pass?'" — Actor Nathan Lane to The Advocate, April issue.
"Yes, I'm like the homosexual Oracle of Delphi. They all come to ask my advice ( on whether to come out ) ! No, nobody's coming to ask my advice. It would be hard to give a young actor advice on that. Yes, I think it's the right thing to do and the healthy thing for everyone, but it's also a business, and there are those considerations." — Actor Nathan Lane to The Advocate, April issue.
"No, I have no interest whatsoever ( in getting married ) . I'll fight for the rights for everybody else, but we're perfectly happy the way we are." — Actor Nathan Lane to The Advocate, April issue.
—Assistance: Bill Kelley
