"Gay politics? What gay politics? I don't see any gay politics. I see a few lazy, torpid, unimaginative—certainly passionless—'organizations' that maintain they fight for us when what they do is relatively useless. It has never been otherwise. I am afraid we have never ever had a decent gay organization, outside of ACT UP, that accomplished what we need to accomplish—which is to free ourselves from the tyranny of THEM!" — Activist, author and playwright Larry Kramer ( pictured ) to The Daily Beast, April 10.
"At its core, ( this bill ) simply changes the term 'civil union' to 'civil marriage.' Given the cultural, historical and religious significance of the word marriage, this is a meaningful change. I have heard, and I understand, the very real feelings of same-sex couples that a separate system is not an equal system. That a civil law that differentiates between their committed relationships and those of heterosexual couples undermines both their dignity and the legitimacy of their families." — New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch announcing May 14 that he will sign a bill passed by the Legislature to legalize same-sex marriage. Lynch requested the addition of some specific language protecting certain rights of religious entities that oppose gay marriage—and legislative and gay leaders said the changes were fine with them.
"All hell is going to break loose. We may have a civil war. The black community is just adamant against this. What you've got to understand is 98 percent of my constituents are black and we don't have but a handful of openly gay residents. Secondly, at least 70 percent of those who express themselves to me about this are opposed to anything dealing with this issue. The ministers think it is a sin, and I have to be sensitive to that." — Washington, D.C., Council member Marion Barry, the city's former mayor, after the Council passed a bill May 5 to recognize same-sex marriages from other states and countries.
"Only in America would the notion of a nearly naked fundamentalist Christian beauty queen tossing her processed hair and parading brand new pageant-bought plastic breasts across a Las Vegas stage in front of millions of television viewers with all the modesty of a blue ribbon heifer at a county livestock fair ( the same fundamentalist Christian beauty queen who would later tell a television reporter that she heard God whispering in her ear as she answered a celebrity-worshipping Internet gossip columnist's question about gay marriage ) be treated as anything other than an occasion for high comedy and mirth." — Journalist Michael Rowe writing about Miss California USA/Miss USA first runner-up Carrie Prejean at Salon.com, May 4.
"I was asked earlier if I was gay. ... Well, I can answer this way: I'm very gay and happy. I'm very happy to be here for my gay friends. I've never been with a woman, so I guess I'm straight, OK? But I'm straight enough to know the difference between right and wrong. I am straight enough to know that if you want to marry whoever you want to marry you should be able to." — Singer Patti LaBelle at the first Miami Beach Gay Pride, April 18. She served as grand marshal.
—Assistance: Bill Kelley
