Compiled by Howard Israel
S/he Said
" For those who believe gay men and lesbians ought to be free to solemnize and formalize their relationships, that is very good news. It means they are – we are – winning the argument. That is cause for celebration. But lurking at the edge of celebration there is, for me, at least, a nagging, impatient vexation. That vexation is based in what is arguably an esoteric question: In extolling the fact that the majority now approves same sex marriage, do we not also tacitly accept the notion that the majority has the right to judge?"
– Leonard Pitts,Jr., in his column titled "Human rights shouldn't need opinion surveys," about recent polls showing a slim majority of the American people now favor allowing gay men and lesbians to wed, http://www.freep.com, March 25.
"People are being attacked for taking positions that do not support sexual behavior between people of the same sex. When they express their moral beliefs or beliefs about human nature … they are stigmatized, and worse – they are vilified, and prosecuted. These attacks are violations of fundamental human rights and cannot be justified under any circumstances."
– Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, Vatican representative, in a speech to United Nations Human Rights Council, describing a "disturbing trend" of vilifying those who, for religious or moral reasons, criticize sexual relations between two people of the same sex, http://www.catholicnewsagency.com, March 22.
"We have a big extended family here in the US and in India. We were so worried how they would react. We were torn between our love for Amy and a society that was not open minded enough to accept her. To (my) surprise, when (I) announced that (Amy) is a lesbian, (my) extended family and friends came out in support, including the relatives from India. They were all complimentary about how courageous and compassionate my husband and I were. Yes, there were few negative reactions, but we were firm and focused only on Amy and her future. Eventually the people who were against the idea also came around."
– Rekha Shah, Indian-born, living in the U.S. since the 1970s, in her column titled "My Daughter and Daughter-in-law," coming out as a proud parents and mother-in-law, http://www.gaysifamily.com, March 24. This web site is for "Desi," people from India and neighboring countries, who identify as LGBT, known as "Gaysi.
"The idea is that a gay man can't cover gay issues because he'll be 'biased.' But we all have a sexuality: if a gay journalist is biased on gay issues, wouldn't a straight journalist be biased too, just in a different direction? This strikes me as a classic example of 'heterosexual privilege:' the idea that when a member of the majority thinks something, that opinion is rational and 'objective,' but when a minority member thinks something, it's somehow suspect – biased unless proven otherwise."
– Brent Hartinger, in his "Ask the Flying Monkey" entertainment column, responding to a question about television journalist Anderson Cooper, "Can a Gay Journalist Be Out and Objective?," http://www.afterelton.com, March 23.
