'To contemplate war is to think about the most horrible of human experiences. ... [A]s this nation stands at the brink of battle, every American on some level must be contemplating the horrors of war. Yet, this Chamber is, for the most part, silent—ominously, dreadfully silent. There is no debate, no discussion, no attempt to lay out for the nation the pros and cons of this particular war. There is nothing. We stand passively mute in the United States Senate, paralyzed by our own uncertainty, seemingly stunned by the sheer turmoil of events. Only on the editorial pages of our newspapers is there much substantive discussion of the prudence or imprudence of engaging in this particular war.' — U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd Feb. 12.
This nation is about to embark upon the first test of a revolutionary doctrine applied in an extraordinary way at an unfortunate time. The doctrine of preemption—the idea that the United States or any other nation can legitimately attack a nation that is not imminently threatening but may be threatening in the future—is a radical new twist on the traditional idea of self defense. It appears to be in contravention of international law and the UN Charter. And it is being tested at a time of world-wide terrorism, making many countries around the globe wonder if they will soon be on our—or some other nation's—hit list.' — Byrd.
'In New Jersey ... gay pride is just one day. In New York, gay pride gets a whole week and a parade and everything. In New Jersey—this was Asbury Park—no parade or anything, just one day in the park with speakers and—what are those fluffy donuts called?—oh yeah, funnel cakes, and people wearing weird rainbow clothes.' — Comic Marga Gomez to New York City's Gay City News, Jan. 31.
'I don't call myself a lesbian comedian, but I am. So to make a living you go to as many of these gay-pride gigs as you can, as a sort of cheerleader. It's like Christmas for the kids. But I'm getting older, and I'm sort of questioning gay pride itself.' — Gomez.
'I've been HIV-positive for ten years now, and my immune system is healthier now than when I got infected. I look better than I did when I was negative, have experienced deep spiritual and emotional growth as a result of my HIV experience, and live every day now with a vigor and gratitude I never felt before. I'm just one of thousands of productive, healthy people with HIV who are daily— albeit unconsciously—transmitting the message that an HIV diagnosis is no calamity. Having been a beneficiary of the solution to HIV, I am now unwittingly part of the problem.' — Gay writer Andrew Sullivan on his Web site, Feb. 4.
'Mentalities have changed. There is no longer any reason not to open marriage to people of the same sex.' — Belgian Justice Minister Marc Verwilghen as Belgium became the second nation to open up regular marriage to same-sex couples, Jan. 30.
'American culture and the gay community have overly glorified sex to the point that it's expected to be the most important piece of our lives. ... I don't accept that it's natural for us or that it's what God wants for us. I think it is Western culture that is out-of-whack, not me. ... I happen to believe that God has been clear to the Jewish people that we should be pursuing opposite-sex relationships, and particularly not having intercourse between two males.' — David Bianco, founder and vice president for content of the large gay-press syndication service Q Syndicate, in a Jan. 27 interview with this column. Bianco no longer identifies as gay.
'Straight men long for blowjobs and do not get them because straight girls do not suck dick unless they are porn stars, and even then they must be properly trained by a professional cocksucker, and all professional cocksuckers are fags. That's one reason why straight people hate us. We have much better sex than they can imagine and they are jealous beyond belief.' — Columnist Joan Jett-Blakk in Chicago's Nightspots, Jan. 29.
'If the lipstick lesbian was the gay icon of the nineties, these days she's been replaced by her more controversial counterpart, the hasbian: a woman who used to date women but now dates men. Though Anne Heche is the most prominent example, many hasbians (sometimes called LUGS: lesbians until graduation) are by-products of nineties liberal-arts educations. Caught up in the gay scene at school, they came out at 20 or 21 and now, five or ten years later, are finding themselves in the odd position of coming out all over again—as heterosexuals.' — From New York Magazine, Feb 10.
'Some hasbians identify as bisexual, while others say they're straight and describe their lesbianism as a meaningful but finite phase of their lives ... . But all say they have had to pay a price, feeling a need to keep their past lives secret from new boyfriends while facing judgment from their closest friends. Patty, a 27-year-old stockbroker, came out during college but for the past six months has been seeing a guy. She says she was so consumed with coming out that she never gave men a fair shot. Sex with her boyfriend is 'tender,' she says, if less adventurous than with her girlfriend. Then there are the obvious differences. 'With a man, orgasm is the goal. With women, you're not as focused on it and it's less of a race to get there. If a man doesn't come, his ego is deflated, whereas with a woman, that's not a factor. It's more mix and match.' Though she loves her boyfriend, it's been hard integrating her two circles. 'I have two very good friends who are brother and sister,' she says, 'and they're both gay. They say, 'When are you going to come back?' I was at a party with my boyfriend and one of my friends said, 'Hey, you big dyke.'' ... Deidre Sullivan, a comedian and writer, thinks the tension between lesbians and former lesbians is understandable: '... The hasbian is very threatening because she crosses in and out of a sacred space. People fought so hard for the right to congregate in gay bars and to express their love openly, and now the interloper comes along.'' — New York Magazine.
