Compiled by Howard Israel
S/he Said
"I feel relief, and I thank the judge because she is a human being. If I was straight they would be helping me keep her here. I do feel relief today, and I am happy our marriage was being recognized a little bit at least."
-Sujey Pando and Violeta Pando, a lesbian couple, legally married in Iowa, faced with Pando's deportation as an undocumented immigrant until the federal judge stopped the proceedings because of a sudden Obama Administration policy change that considers undocumented immigrants who pose no security risks with family in the U.S., including lesbian and gay families, to be low priority for deportation, http://www.denverpost.com, Aug. 20. Pando's mother, who has permanent residency status, obtained citizenship for her three sons, but not her daughter, because she is a lesbian.
"I love the gays. I love everybody."
-Anna Benson, author of a church roadside sign posted outside of the Sea Gate Community Chapel, in Wilmington, N.C., that stated: "God loves gays, but hates a perverted life style. Romans 1:26-27. Turn or burn." http://www.wect.tv, Aug. 15. Benson said the sign wasn't meant to offend anyone because she feels no animosity towards homosexuals.
"They need to understand that not only is it OK to be gay, it's also possible to be gay and an unflinching candidate for the nation's highest office. I want to send the message to gay younger people and older people and everyone in between that you can do anything you want in life, and don't feel bad about yourself and don't feel you have to live your life the way I did."
-Fred Karger, Republican candidate for president, a retired political advisor and closeted for most of his 61 years who knows he stands no chance of becoming the Republican nominee, but wants to use the platform to let LGBT people know it's OK to be gay and to aim high in life, in an article titled "Gay presidential candidate Fred Karger has a message," http://www.latimes.com, Aug. 9.
"Suggesting that 'civil rights' is a black issue and 'gay rights' is a white issue implies that LGBT equality is not a priority for black people. One of the problems with this 'either/or,' 'black' or 'white' approach is that it creates a false dichotomy between LGBT issues and other issues of social justice. It fosters a hierarchy of oppression in which certain matters are placed at the top of the political agenda while others are tabled. The greatest problem with this approach is its failure to highlight how multiple forms of oppression are interconnected. This failure to 'connect the dots' deceives black and other marginalized groups into believing that dealing with vital issues impacting our communities can, at best, be postponed indefinitely, or, at worst, be ignored completely."
-The Rev. Dr. Dennis W. Wiley, in his column titled "Why LGBT Equality Is Not a 'White' Issue, http://www.americanprogress.org, Aug. 17.
