'Mayor Gavin Newsom requests the pleasure of your company to honor our shared commitment to securing equality for all Americans.' — Invitations to couples married a year ago, by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who is hosting a reception Saturday, Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. in San Francisco's City Hall. The invitation was sent to Chicagoans Robert Castillo and John Pennycuff.
'What we're doing today is as old as the scripture: 'Love thy neighbor.' It's what Jesus said when he gave his sermon on the mount: 'Do unto others what you would have others do unto you.'' — Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich as he signed a new state law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation, Jan. 21.
'Senators have made it clear that so long as DOMA [ the federal Defense of Marriage Act ] is deemed constitutional, nothing will happen [ on the proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage ] . I'd take their admonition seriously. ... Until that changes, nothing will happen in the Senate.' — President George W. Bush telling the Washington Post Jan. 16 that 'he will not press senators to pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.'
'I think it would be foolhardy to back off when we've got a good head of steam coming out of the election.' — U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., reintroducing a bill to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, Jan. 24.
'The ideal in society is to raise children with a man and a woman. Private adoption firms can make whatever choice they choose to do. As president, I will always be aiming for the ideal. ... And as governor and as president—when I was governor of Texas my position was that this is the ideal. And I believe children can receive love from gay couples, but the ideal is—and studies have shown that the ideal is—where a child is raised in a married family with a man and a woman.' — President George W. Bush to The New York Times, Jan. 28.
'This is now the law of the land in seven Canadian provinces and one Canadian territory. This is a decision taken by our courts based on our Charter of Rights. This is a question of equality. ... The purpose of the Charter of Rights is to protect minorities ... against the oppression of the majority. ... One of the most damaging things, I believe, to the Canadian concept of equality and respect for each other would be in fact if we allow the Charter to be attacked.' —Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin defending Canada's plans to legalize full same-sex marriage nationwide, at a Jan. 17 press conference in India. Courts already have legalized same-sex marriage in eight of Canada's 13 provinces and territories.
'Since homosexuality, adultery, prostitution and pornography undermine the foundations of the family, the basis of society, then the state must use its coercive power to proscribe or curtail them in the interests of the common good.' — Calgary, Alberta, Roman Catholic Bishop Frederick Henry denouncing the Canadian government's plans to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide, in a letter read in churches the weekend of Jan. 20. Courts already have legalized full same-sex marriage in eight of Canada's 13 provinces and territories.
'Liberal Americans have been eyeing the Canadian border as their escape hatch since the tragedy of November's U.S. presidential election. But anyone seriously thinking of movin' on up should scratch the surface of our image as a hip and happening nation. Beneath the fashionable attire of same-sex marriage, you'll find Canada sporting a rather fussy petticoat. Americans may think of Canada as a nanny state, given the way we coddle our citizens with free healthcare and equality provisions. But Canada's nanny is not just the caring nurse; she's also a strict governess. Specifically, she's a sexually repressed and somewhat hysterical Victorian governess, right out of a Henry James story, who determines our appropriate behaviour and activities.' — David Walberg, publisher of the Toronto gay newspaper Xtra!, writing in the Jan. 20 issue.
' [ N ] ow is the time when vigilance is needed more than ever, when an informed populace and an outraged resistance is mandatory lest the current regime simply steamroll over the nation for the next 1,460 days with a blindly aggressive agenda, one that aims to decimate Social Security and gut the economy and flood the courts with rabidly homophobic and anti-choice Bible-thumping judges who will almost guarantee we start treating gays as abominations and women as chattel and progressives as flammable godless heathens all over again.' —SFGate.com columnist Mark Morford, Jan. 21.
'To the vast sentient population of the planet, people like those in Focus on the Family and the American Family Association ( the other terrified little group that found SpongeBob to be sexually dangerous ) are, well, just plain sad, small, lost in a world where everything is a threat and everything wants to stab at their mealy souls and everything reeks of debauchery and demonism and copious amounts of residual Astroglide.' — SFGate.com columnist Mark Morford, Jan. 26.
'The reason they [ the Bush campaign ] picked those issues [ guns, God and gays ] is they got nothing to say about jobs, healthcare and education.' — Former presidential candidate Howard Dean addressing supporters in New York City, Jan. 30. Dean is running for the national chairmanship of the Democratic Party.
'The only reason to put gay marriage on the ballot in those 11 states [ that banned gay marriage Nov. 2 ] was to scapegoat a minority that was unpopular in order to win an election.' — Former presidential candidate Howard Dean addressing supporters in New York City, Jan. 30.
'I didn't feel the need to tell people, except for a very, very few, as it was not in any way affecting my work. ... [ But ] what Nelson Mandela said very much struck a chord with me. He spoke about how nobody should be ashamed of HIV and said that it should be regarded just like any other illness. He was brave and right.' —Gay British Member of Parliament Chris Smith acknowledging Jan. 29 that he has been HIV-positive for at least 17 years. On Jan. 6, Mandela told reporters that his oldest son had died of AIDS that morning.