Compiled by Howard Israel
"Will the gays come and get us? Honestly, I think we have bigger fish to fry. You can argue about abortion or gay marriage or whatever all you want. The country is burning down."
– Fox News TV show host Glenn Beck, in response to a question about whether same-sex marriage is a threat to society, quoted from an article titled "The new battle: What it means to be American," http://www.politico.com, Aug. 20.
"If you think xenophobia only applies to foreign nationals, think again. Xenophobia literally means 'having abnormal fear or hatred of the strange or foreign.' I'd hate to break the news, but many people view us in the Pink community strange or foreign or both. … Those who are not completely heterosexual and cisgender face possible identity based crimes along with foreign nationals."
-Cobus Fourie, South African LGBTIQ rights activist, in his blog titled "We're ALL African," linking the persecution of foreign nationals with LGBT issues, http://cobusfourie.blogspot.com, Aug. 1.
"Research indicates younger people are beginning to see sexual orientation as benign variation, so that the differences between gay and nongay couples are simply not so interesting. Once that happens, societies have less interest in distinguishing between relationships of gay and nongay couples."
– Suzanne Goldberg, law professor, Columbia University's Center for Gender and Sexuality Law, in a report titled "Shifting attitudes take gay rights fight across globe," http://edition.cnn.com, Aug. 19.
"I broke up Al and Tipper Gore. And Sandra Bullock and Jesse James. No, I am not a 50-something masseuse or a tattoo model with a thing for Nazi outfits. I'm just a gay man who's about to celebrate his second wedding anniversary. Apparently, my marriage is a menace. … Yes, I am responsible for the sorry state marriage is in. The Gores' 'shocking' split was no surprise to me. Blame me for breaking America's sweetest heart. … Jenny and Mark 'Appalachian Trail' Sanford, Mel and Robyn Gibson – I put them all asunder. I'm here. I'm a home wrecker. Get used to it."
– Jose Fidelino, in his column titled "Confessions of a Gay Weapon of Marital Destruction," http://www.time.com, Aug. 8.
"Calling all Muslims terrorists is a hate campaign. We, as gay people, should know this trick. Think of all the rights denied us using hate – hate based in lies. Look through issues of any local LGBT newspaper and you'll see stories about communities that tried to keep an LGBT center or business out of its neighborhood. The rationale being used to try and deny the (Ground Zero) cultural center is the same one that has been used against LGBT establishments."
– Mark Segal, publisher, Philadelphia Gay News, in his column titled "Mosque issue is an LGBT issue," Philadelphia Gay News www.epgn.com, Aug. 26.
"(The) coworker is not a homophobe, although he may still have some issues to work through. And many of the party-goers were not homophobes either. One of the couple's we were speaking to made it clear their dedication to gay rights. But no one spoke up against the vocal homophobe at the party. Maybe they were all just as shocked by what this person was saying, or maybe they just did not know what to say, or maybe they thought it best not to rock the boat too much. Passive acceptance of bigoted views is almost as bad as having and expressing those views."
– Dickie; in his blog titled "Surprising Homophobia," about he and his husband being invited to a co-worker's party and dealing with a homophobic guest, http://www.imjustgaying.com, Aug. 24.
