"I could have probably been under that label ( sex addict ) but I was more of a drama addict. Lots of drama ( in my 20s ) . I really, really enjoyed a woman's touch. I enjoyed being intimately connected to another woman. And I enjoyed it a lot and with a lot of different women. I just really liked it. I would think it was a beautiful, amazing thing that would make me feel good, and then in the morning, I didn't feel so good. There was a lot of dishonesty that came with it. If I had been really honest, I probably would have felt better about it. There was an emptiness that only I could fill, but I was looking for others to fill it." — Melissa Etheridge to Los Angeles' Lesbian News, August issue.
"When push comes to shove, we ( gays ) always get pushed. I want the chaos, the anger, the truth, whatever it is, to come out. Otherwise it's a big Kabuki dance in Washington, fund-raising letters about nothing. Who's willing to fast? Who's willing to get handcuffed? This president will actually care. The last one didn't. People like it when you appeal to their better angels. Because people want to be better. Most people do. They want to be appealed to." — Rich Tafel, founding president of Log Cabin Republicans, to The Advocate, September issue.
"The argument in favor of Proposition 8 ultimately comes down to no more than the tautological assertion that a marriage is between a man and a woman. But a slogan is not a substitute for constitutional analysis. Law is about justice, not bumper stickers." — Lawyer David Boies writing about his and Ted Olson's bold lawsuit seeking to have Prop 8 struck down as a violation of the U.S. Constitution, in The Wall Street Journal, July 20.
"They ( Notre Dame ) get up and they do this little cheer, like this. You know, this little faggot dance. ... Don't write that 'faggot dance.' I was misquoted. ... Go ahead, say 'faggot dance.' No. Please cover for me on that ... I'll deny it." — University of Hawaii football coach Greg McMackin to reporters July 30 at the Western Athletic Conference media football preview in Salt Lake City.
"I want to officially, officially apologize. Please don't write that statement I said as far as Notre Dame. The reason is, I don't care about Notre Dame. But I'm not a—I don't want to come out and have every homosexual ticked off at me. You know what I mean. Because I don't have any problem with homosexuals. But I apologize for saying that and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't run that word. If you said dance, that's OK. But don't use the bad term that I chose, please. Thank you." — University of Hawaii football coach Greg McMackin to reporters July 30 at the Western Athletic Conference media football preview in Salt Lake City.
"I'm committed to do whatever I can to use this as a life lesson and to learn from my mistake. ... I've offended the gay and lesbian community and now I'm going to work with the LGBT community on campus to use this as a teachable moment for me and hopefully others." — Hawaii football coach Greg McMackin a day later in Honolulu. As punishment for saying "faggot," McMackin was suspended for 30 days without pay, took a voluntary salary reduction, must do work with the LGBT community on campus and must make a public-service announcement about how words hurt, among other things. Part of the money from his salary reduction will pay for a GLBT student intern to conduct campuswide workshops in GLBT-awareness training.
"More than 15 hundred people are marching from a courtyard beside Sydney Town Hall amid hugs and kisses, designer clothes and hair products, to fight a serious battle for the right to marry." — The Australian Associated Press perhaps should have resisted the urge, Aug. 1.
—Assistance: Bill Kelley
