'The fact that some people have gay/lesbian preferences is not something that's going to be changed based on what somebody in the legislature says. I don't know whether the percentage of the population is 10 percent or 5 percent or 15 percent or 1 percent. It doesn't matter. You're not going to repeal biology in the United States Senate or the House.' — Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld addressing a gay Log Cabin Republicans event at the Republican National Convention in New York City, Aug. 29.
'Ever since powerful Ohio congressman Wayne Hayes' downfall in the early '70s for putting his mistress, Elizabeth Ray, on the congressional payroll as a 'secretary' (even though she couldn't type), it's been a cardinal rule of political survival that elected officials should never pay their paramour from the public coffers. But that's what [newly out New Jersey Gov.] Jim McGreevey did—and his ringing declaration, 'I am a gay American,' was a carefully crafted piece of political prestidigitation designed to distract public attention from his feckless flouting of basic ethical principles.' — Doug Ireland writing in the LA Weekly, Aug. 20.
'I am genuinely attracted to anyone that is beautiful. That's true. And I won't say no more.' — The L Word actress Karina Lombard (Marina) when Curve magazine asked her, 'Have you had sexual experiences with other women?', in the August issue.
'The Employment Non-Discrimination Act is dead, a victim of Republican opposition, Democratic indifference, and now the foolishness of the country's richest and most prominent gay civil rights organization. Abandoning common sense, the Human Rights Campaign announced in early August that it will no longer support federal legal protection for millions of gay workers unless the tiny number of transgendered workers get that protection, too. The decision is a slap in the face to gay Americans, who generously fund HRC, and who will now have to wait even longer for federal employment discrimination protection.' — Columnist Dale Carpenter, The Texas Triangle, Aug. 19.
'Bareback, bi-curious, cottaging, civil union, co-parent, cruisy, gaydar, GLBT, glory hole, homoerotic, leatherman, lesbigay, lipstick lesbian, rainbow flag, queeny, she-male, tranny, trans, transgendered.' — New entries in the new edition of Canada's top dictionary, the Canadian Oxford Dictionary. 'Cottaging' is not used in U.S. English. It means cruising or having sexual contact with another male in a public toilet.
'And yet Arnold Schwarzenegger had the gall to tell us at the convention that 'America is back!' The fact that the Republicans chose not only to render the increasing pain of increasing millions invisible but to use it as a punchline tells you all you need to know about the current mindset of the Grand Old Party. And, even more importantly, it offers an unparalleled opportunity for the Kerry campaign to stop defending itself against the flip-flopping caricature of Kerry that Rove has created and start defining who George Bush really is—a callous leader whose regressive policies have made America a crueler and more dangerous place. The Two Americas narrative shows that, far from providing strong leadership, Bush has turned his back on the traditional American values of fairness, opportunity, and responsibility.' — Nationally syndicated columnist Arianna Huffington.
'Of course, the last three and a half years have proven that when Bush starts talking about reform, it's time to be very afraid. His idea of education reform turned out to be the fraudulent No Child Left Behind Act, a massively underfunded federal mandate that truth-in-labeling laws should have required be rechristened the Millions of Children But Mercifully Not Your Own Left Behind Act. And his idea of Medicare reform was a multibillion dollar gift to drug companies and HMOs disguised as a prescription drug bill. Now he wants to do the same to Social Security and health insurance, all in the name of 'empowering individuals' and creating 'an ownership society'—or, in plain English, privatizing as much of the social welfare system as possible.' — Arianna Huffington.
'Here then, for your voting-booth convenience, is a quick overview of President Bush's 'great record': Since he took office, 1.2 million people in America have lost their jobs, bringing the total to 8.2 million. The number of Americans living below the poverty line has increased by 4.3 million to 35.9 million—12.9 million of them children. The number of Americans with no health insurance has increased by 5.8 million—with 1.4 million losing their insurance in 2003. The total now stands at 45 million. Forty percent of the 3.5 million people who were homeless at some point last year were families with children, as were 40 percent of those seeking emergency food assistance. Median household income has fallen more than $1,500 in inflation-adjusted terms in the last three years, and the wages of most workers are now falling behind inflation. ... One third of the president's $1.7 trillion in tax cuts benefits only the top 1 percent of wealthiest Americans. President Bush also failed to fulfill his pledge to get Osama Bin Laden 'dead or alive,' traded the moral high ground for preemptive war and the horrors of Abu Ghraib, never attended a funeral or memorial service for any of the 975 soldiers killed in Iraq, pulled out of the Kyoto agreement on global warming, gutted the Clean Air Act, initiated the rollback of more than 200 environmental regulations, backed a constitutional amendment to outlaw gay marriages, and refused to follow through on his promise to extend the assault weapons ban.' — Huffington.
'We've got an issue in America. Too many good docs are getting out of business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country.' — George W. Bush explaining why he thinks malpractice awards should be limited.
'[Alan Keyes] staunch opposition to gay marriage was a big part of his attraction. So it should have come as no surprise to anybody when Keyes told interviewers on a New York-based satellite radio station, Sirius OutQ, that homosexuality is 'selfish hedonism.' That's what he always says. The interviewers then took it a step further and asked if that made Mary Cheney, the openly gay daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, a 'selfish hedonist.' 'Of course, she is'; Keyes replied. 'That goes by definition. Of course, she is.' ... Illinois Republican Chairman Judy Baar Topinka, who didn't recruit Keyes but has endorsed him, even said he should apologize for his 'idiotic' comment. ... I found the commotion nearly as confusing as why the GOP brought Keyes here in the first place. The explanation for the uproar seems to be that Keyes 'personalized' his comments by aiming them at Mary Cheney. ... The interviewers personalized it, bringing up Mary Cheney's name, and do you know why they did that? Because it is personal. ... These discussions always involve issues directly affecting somebody's daughter or son or mother or father or cousin or friend. Sometimes (gasp), they even involve Republicans. ... If homosexuals are 'selfish hedonists,' as Keyes believes, then naturally, so is Mary Cheney. You can't blame him for putting it right out there in the open. Those of you who read this space regularly know I hold different beliefs, but for the sake of limiting my e-mail from non-Sun-Times readers who might spot this on the Internet, I should note that I have used my column to support gay rights, including gay marriage. You can look it up. You can also look up what Keyes has said on the subject. He posts transcripts of his speeches on the Internet, along with copies of a column he used to write.' — Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mark Brown.
'I think his position on homosexuality and the lives of homosexuals is ridiculous and archaic and mean-spirited.' — Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whose sister-in-law, Deborah Mell, is a lesbian. But the governor has been criticized strongly for his position against same-sex marriage. Deborah Mell will be honored by Chicago NOW Sept. 30, 6-9 p.m., High Risk Gallery, (312) 578-9351.
'It is an acceptance that will prove more powerful than the Republican platform and a wishy-washy Democratic ticket that embraces the gay vote but is so tortured about it that Sen. John Kerry retreats sounding just like Cheney, saying gay marriage should be left up to the states. Kerry knows better about leaving intolerance up to the states. If black people waited for the states to take care of civil rights, we still might not have the right to vote.' — Syndicated columnist Derrick Z. Jackson, in the Tribune.
