compiled by Howard Israel
"For me it wasn't a problem. The guy was really nice. He was a great fan. He said, 'I love you,' and he kissed me."
– Rafael Nadal of Spain, international tennis champion, after a male fan eluded security, ran on the court and kissed him, following his victory at the U.S. Open, http://www.timesonline.co.uk, Sept. 9.
"It is remarkable how little progress gay people have made in securing the basic protection against discrimination on the job. In 29 states, it is still legal to fire workers for being gay (and in 38 states to do so based on gender identity or expression). But momentum is building in Congress for the first federal law banning such discrimination against GLBT people. Federal law has lagged behind the reality of American life. There are now openly gay members of Congress from between-the-coasts states like Colorado and Wisconsin. And according to the Human Rights Campaign 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies have policies protecting gay employees from discrimination. People who believe in workplace fairness should lobby senators to get on board. It is unacceptable that in a nation committed to equality people can still be fired in more than half the states for being gay. Congressional leaders should make passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act a top priority."
– From a New York Times editorial titled "The Rights of Gay Employees," endorsing ENDA, which will extend federal employment discrimination protections currently provided based on race, religion, sex, national origin, age and disability to sexual orientation and gender identity, http://www.nytimes.com, Sept. 12.
"God made me the way I am and I accept myself. I am who I am, and I'm proud of myself."
– Caster Semenya, South African world-champion runner, quoted from an interview in a South African magazine, attacked by opponents and critics who insists the athlete is really a man, prior to the leaked news that the 18-year-old is a "hermaphrodite with no ovaries or womb, and may have internal testes, or male sexual organs, which produce testosterone," http://www.theglobeandmail.com, Sept. 11.
"I smell on television this fall, where token gay characters have replaced token black characters as the marginalized peoples du jour. By depicting gay people as they really are – intelligent, attractive, self-possessed – modern-day televisual narratives run the risk of misinforming the public about the fact that many gay people are slovenly, slow-witted and boring. I would personally launch a public awareness campaign to inform the populace that Gay People Are Stupid And Uninteresting, Too – I just can't find any stupid, uninteresting gay people to help me enlighten the masses. Meanwhile, the networks continue their campaign of misinformation by featuring highly charismatic token gays on their shows."
– Heather Havrilesky, in a column titled "Fear of a gay planet," assessing the fall lineup of new shows on network television as "token gay replaces token black," http://www.salon.com, Sept. 13.
"I recently was watching 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' and came up with a theory on why the character is, to me, the Sexiest Movie Character Ever. Part of it is that the film keeps his sexuality ambiguous and his female relationships forgettable. If you watch the series again, you'll find he tends to find the women a hassle. Add in he's more obsessed with finding antiques then scoring with the college co-eds. I think if Indiana was around today, he would be at the least a bisexual adventurer (though there is that fear of snakes!)."
– Topher from Toronto, Canada, asking a question to "Ask the Flying Monkey!," an LGBT pop culture question/answer blog, http://www.afterelton.com/askmonkey, Sept. 8. The answer: "The omnisexual appeal of the Indiana Jones character comes from two sources: the universally attractive nature of the character, and Harrison Ford's incredible on-screen charisma."
"I'm here to make sure that people realize that this is the face of HIV and there is nothing to fear and nothing to be ashamed of."
– Joann Montes, HIV-positve for over 10 years, in an article titled "No More Silence," about the notably silent community of Latinas who are HIV-positive, http://www.hivplusmag.com, Sept/Oct 2009 issue. Latinos make up 18 percent of individuals living with undiagnosed HIV infection. National Latino AIDS Awareness Day is October 15.
"Even as he resigns in shame, Michael Duvall is wallowing in hypocrisy. While engaging in extra-marital affairs, he used 'family values' as a justification to vote against every bill that would have provided any measure of equal treatment or fairness to LGBT people. He used the same justification to support taking away the lawful right of same-sex couples to marry. Now he has the temerity to protest that his adultery (with lobbyists) 'is a private matter' and asks that 'everyone respect the privacy of all involved?!' People should respect his privacy when he never respected the privacy of loving same-sex couples? 'Family values' has become a code word for more than abject anti-gay bigotry; it's now a sham to divert attention from the real behavior of those protesting to be such devoted family men. Duvall and his brethren should focus on their own ranks, rather than attacking LGBT people and trying to prevent loving same-sex couples from marrying."
– Lorri L. Jean, L.A. Chief Executive Officer Gay & Lesbian Center, in a statement about former Assemblymember Michael Duvall, a pro-family values California lawmaker who resigned after being caught on tape boasting about his extra-marital sexual conquests with lobbyists, http://www.lagaycenter.org, Sept. 9.
