'R.J. Reynolds Tobacco does not tolerate this or any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation' — RJR spokesperson David Howard on the cancellation of 14 of the anti-gay singer Beenie Man's concerts in the United States.
'My truth is that I am a gay American.' — New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey Aug. 12. The married pol came out during a speech admitting to having a gay affair. He is also under intense scrutiny for allegedly hiring his unqualified lover for a state post, and for contract irregularities.
'It makes little difference that as governor, I am gay. In fact, having the ability truthfully to set forth my identity might have enabled me to be more forthright in fulfilling and discharging my constitutional obligations. Given the circumstances surrounding the affair, and its likely impact upon my family and my ability to govern, I have decided the right course of action is to resign. To facilitate a responsible transition, my resignation will be effective on Nov. 15 of this year.' — McGreevey.
'Yes, yes, yes. Gay men and lesbians know that story. They lived it, sweetie, and told it over and over again 20 years ago, in college, at the family Thanksgiving table, to suspicious but loyal prom dates of the opposite sex. Old-fashioned as it seems, the coming-out story still holds powerful drama. (Especially when spilling from the mouths of politicians.) Someday the world will be safe for movie stars and football players. And so, governor, a glimmer of hope, and a reminder: You're not the last gay man in America to stumble tardily and embarrassingly out of the big, bad closet. You're not the lowest of the low. You may only feel like it.' — Hank Stuever writing in The Washington Post about New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey.
'It would be inaccurate and an oversimplification to say McGreevey resigned solely because he is gay. Gov. McGreevey admitted to an affair; he spoke of his orientation in the course of doing so. His disclosure was an integral piece of news in the unfolding story.' — The National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association recommending caution in framing the reasons for McGreevey's resignation, both in stories and in headlines.
'[WE] agree with petitioners that local officials in San Francisco exceeded their authority by taking official action in violation of applicable statutory provisions. ... To avoid any misunderstanding, we emphasize that the substantive question of the constitutional validity of California's statutory provisions limiting marriage to a union between a man and a woman is not before our court in this proceeding, and our decision in this case is not intended, and should not be interpreted, to reflect any view on that issue. We hold only that in the absence of a judicial determination that such statutory provisions are unconstitutional, local executive officials lacked authority to issue marriage licenses to, solemnize marriages of, or register certificates of marriage for same-sex couples, and marriages conducted between same-sex couples in violation of the applicable statutes are void and of no legal effect. Should the applicable statutes be judicially determined to be unconstitutional in the future, same-sex couples then would be free to obtain valid marriage licenses and enter into valid marriages.' — The California Supreme Court Aug. 12.
'Del is 83 years old, and I am 79. After being together for more than 50 years, it is a terrible blow to have the rights and protections of marriage taken away from us. At our age, we do not have the luxury of time.' — Phyllis Lyon, who wed partner Del Martin—they were the first ones married by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.
'It is wrong to deny tens of millions of Americans the same rights and privileges that people like myself ... have been afforded just through happenstance because we married somebody of a different gender. This ruling is merely a temporary delay in our ongoing struggle for equality.' — Mayor Newsom.
8/11
'I never ask anybody, 'Are you positive or negative?' It ruins the moment, it's not important, it doesn't matter, it interferes with the privacy of another person, and then it gives you totally nothing, absolutely zero. ... Just put a condom on.' — Gay porn star Michael Lucas to The Advocate in the Aug. 17 issue.
'I had sex five times a day, lots of sex, for years and years, and I didn't get AIDS. It's not a stroke of luck—the only reason I didn't get it is because I use protection. That's all.' — Lucas to The Advocate.
'Almost the first thing that The Fab Five do to a bearish guy on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is to shave off his beard, often making him look worse than he was when they started.' — Gay-press columnist Jesse Monteagudo in San Diego's Update, July 15.
'How excited can the [Republican] base really get over a constitutional amendment [to ban same-sex marriage] that the vice president's own wife, Lynne Cheney, has said is a bad idea? Maybe the fact that the Cheneys have an openly gay daughter has no bearing on her conclusion that the issue should be left up to the states, though it would only be human if this had influenced her thinking, in the same way that Ronald Reagan's Alzheimer's turned his family into advocates for stem-cell research. All politics are personal.' — Melinda Henneberger writing in Newsweek, July 20.
'[The constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage] got many fewer votes [in the Senate] than we thought it was going to get and fewer votes than George Bush thought it was going to get. The significance is that the public is not supportive of a constitutional amendment. We've had same-sex marriage in Massachusetts for several months; it's a lot harder to say it's going to be the end of the earth when it's already happened and nobody's noticed even a tremor.' — Gay U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., to Newsweek, July 21.
