Pictured Gay writer Andrew Sullivan. Photo courtesy Andrew Sullivan
'Now is the time for closeted gay conservatives to find the courage and personal strength to stand up and be counted. Now is the time we can really make a difference. If every gay conservative came out of the closet today, the journey to full equality would be over in years instead of decades.' — Log Cabin Republicans President Patrick Guerriero in an Oct. 14 commentary.
'One of the biggest un-kept secrets in Washington, D.C., is that closeted gay Republicans are everywhere—the White House, Republican Party organizations, the halls of Congress, the most influential law offices, and the most powerful lobbying firms in our nation's capitol [ sic ] . Some of those who remain closeted have chosen to be either passive bystanders or, in some cases, active critics of our movement while comfortably partaking in the fringe benefits of our community work—all the while sipping the finest martinis in our trendiest gay bars.' — Log Cabin Republicans President Patrick Guerriero in an Oct. 14 commentary.
'The closet is not only a place which suffocates personal dignity, it is also a place which suffocates the powerful force of personal integrity that can change the hearts and minds of even the most conservative Americans and most conservative politicians. Coming out doesn't have to mean putting a sticker on your car, flying a rainbow flag from your front porch, or marching in a parade. ... It may be as simple as putting a picture of your partner on your desk at work, sharing your personal story with your boss, or speaking up when someone says something anti-gay. For others, it may be as difficult as offering a letter of resignation instead of implementing or assisting with an anti-gay campaign strategy.' —Log Cabin Republicans President Patrick Guerriero in an Oct. 14 commentary.
'I don't want it [ autograph seekers ] when I have my kids. My kids don't like it; it's a weird energy; it's weird to see people going weird about your mom. It's uncomfortable. So if I have my kids [ with me ] , I'm not gonna sign an autograph for you—it's just not gonna happen.' — Melissa Etheridge to The Advocate, Oct. 25.
'Instead of taking five or six of the prescriptions, I decided to go a natural route and smoke marijuana [ to combat side effects of chemotherapy during treatment for breast cancer ] .' — Melissa Etheridge to Dateline NBC, Oct. 16. Medicinal use of marijuana is legal in California with a doctor's recommendation, but one can still be prosecuted under federal law.
'In every show that I've done on television—certainly in the sitcoms—we always fought injustice. My God, what the gay community has been suffering all these years is injustice! Of course, there's something else, which has to do with being bigger than life. It's like opera—you know what I mean? I sort of have a feeling that Judy is looking down and saying, 'Go, girl!'' — Bea Arthur when asked by the Portland, Ore., gay newspaper Just Out, 'Do you have any theories on why gay fans connect with you so strongly?', Oct. 7.
'A third of the country already supports gay people's equality and inclusion in public life, including the freedom to marry. A third of the country adamantly opposes not just marriage for gay people but gay people. They're against homosexuality. They think we're ill. They think we're immoral. They think we should have no place in public life, no legal protection, large or small—from marriage right through bereavement leave. But there's also the middle third, the reachable-but-not-yet-reached, and those are the people that we really need to be talking about.' — Freedom To Marry Executive Director Evan Wolfson to Mother Jones magazine, Oct. 10.
' [ W ] hat encompasses gay culture itself will expand into such a diverse set of subcultures that 'gayness' alone will cease to tell you very much about any individual. The distinction between gay and straight culture will become so blurred, so fractured, and so intermingled that it may become more helpful not to examine them separately at all.' — Gay author Andrew Sullivan writing in The New Republic, Oct. 24.
'For a very long time, the fundamental social institution for gay men was the gay bar. It was often secluded—a refuge, a safe zone, and a clearing-house for sexual pickups. Most bars still perform some of those functions. But the Internet dealt them a body-blow. If you are merely looking for sex or a date, the Web is now the first stop for most gay men. The result has been striking. Only a decade ago, you could wander up the West Side Highway in New York City and drop by several leather bars. Now, only one is left standing, and it is less a bar dedicated to the ornate codes of '70s leather culture than a place for men who adopt a more masculine self-presentation.' — Gay author Andrew Sullivan writing in The New Republic, Oct. 24.
'I don't care if someone is a homosexual or not, and even if I found out something like that, I wouldn't judge a person differently than on their actions alone. But if that person tries to infect others with their homosexuality, then the state must intervene in this violation of freedom.' —Poland's probable next prime minister, Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, to Newsweek, Oct. 3.
