Compiled by Howard Israel
"We were actually told that any student that comes to school dressed in the opposite gender's clothing will be sent home and suspended and it could be on our permanent record. I was really angry, honestly, because we're trying to promote acceptance of everybody, and make a safe school environment for everybody. They felt that it was promoting the gay lifestyle, rather than promoting anti-homophobia."
– Lexi Saffel, Gay Straight Alliance student organizer, Columneetza Secondary School, Williams Lake, British Columbia, about the cancellation by school administrators of anti-homophobia events, http://www.CBC.CA, May 18.
Trusting the mainstream media to actually cover the story is the biggest mistake activists make. Forget about the media. They're not going to be first; they're just too afraid. And who needs them? In this day and age there is no reason why any politician who is working against gays should be able to get away with it. What's great about the web and the power of activism is that people in every location – in the states, in small towns, everywhere – can take matters into their own hands."
– Mike Rogers, blogger, known for his high-profile outings, exposing the hypocrisy of anti-gay elected officials, in a commentary titled "A Case for Outing on All Levels," by Michelangelo Signorile, http://www.advocate.com, June 2010 issue.
"Finally a family-values conservative Republican who still has sex outside of marriage with a woman for a change! Way to hold up those solid Biblical principles of one man, many women!"
– Comment posted by Elias Meeks, in a blog titled "Yaaaaaaaaawn…," about yet another Republican congressman, Mark Souder (R-Ind.) resigning because he had an affair with a female aide who worked in his office, http://blog.blogactive.com, May 19.
"In the black community, one of the worst things another black person can call you is an Uncle Tom … black people who consciously turn their back on or undermine their own community in an attempt to appease and gain acceptance from the white community. The gay and lesbian community has plenty of Uncle Toms trying to blow us up from inside. Some call them 'closet cases,' but there is a difference between someone who is unwilling to live openly and honestly, and someone who takes that a step further and hurts those who do. … I do not believe in outing people who are simply living in hiding. But I do believe in revealing the identities of these gay Uncle Toms (who use their) political, judicial and economic influence … to selfishly impede social progress, derail justice and vilify an entire group of people."
– LZ Granderson, in a column titled "Closeted anti-gays are the enemy within," about George Rekers, the anti-gay activist and Baptist minister, who hired a male escort for pro-gay activities, http://www.cnn.com, May 13.
"I know all the gays are in tizzy fanning themselves over Laura Bush's recent revelation that she is a supporter of same-sex marriage and all, but seriously, who gives a fuck? She is so late. She sat by and helped her husband put forth this image of a unified first family on all issues and now that she has a book to promote she wants to reveal her pro-choice and pro-gay status? WTF!"
– Maurice Lucas, in his blog titled "Say no to Bush," about former First Lady Laura Bush's comments about gay marriage on her book promotion tour, http://queerblackness.blogspot.com, May 19.
"Perhaps it's naivete, but I've been amazed by the outraged objections of many good liberals to the mere discussion of Elena Kagan's sexual orientation. Without realizing it, they've completely internalized one of the most pernicious myths long used to demand that gay people remain in the closet: namely, that to reveal one's sexual orientation is to divulge one's 'sex life.'"
– Glenn Greenwald, in his column titled "Equating sexual orientation with "sex life,'" http://www.salon.com, May 19.
"You name it, the right has opposed it: civil rights, women's rights, labor organizing, social security, LGBT rights, welfare, immigrant rights, reproductive right … etc. Through the years the right invoked hysterical rhetoric in opposition, predicting that implementing any such policies would result in the end-of-family-free-enterprise-God-America on the one hand, and the imposition of atheism-socialism-Nazism on the other. Republicans are obstructionist for one simple reason: it's a winning strategy. By demonizing and scapegoating politically marginal groups, the right is able to define 'real Americans,' who are good, versus those defined as parasites, illegitimate and internal threats, who are evil."
– Arun Gupta, in a commentary titled "Republicans and the Tea Party of No," http://www.truthout.org, May 17.
