compiled by Howard Israel
Thanks to everyone at Out magazine for this great honor! If any young kids are reading this – gay or not, those that are different, those that aren't stick-thin, those that aren't conventionally 'beautiful'. To them, we say – be yourselves! Be yourself and be brilliant! You can be successful just as you are."
– Perez Hilton, the celebrity gossip blogger (real name: Mario Lavandeira Jr.), on learning he had been placed 16th on Out magazine's 50 Most Influential Gay Men and Women in America, Arizona Daily News, Apr. 7, 2008. Ellen DeGeneres topped the list at # 1 -The Most Influential Gay Woman in America.
"I don't care about sports. I can't wait to check out all the parties and the great lesbian scene and being around a lot of great girls."
– Kelly Costa, commenting on the recent NCAA Women's Final Four Tournament in Tampa, FL, showcasing the nation's best women's basketball match-ups, Tampa Tribune, Apr. 4, 2008. The tournament is widely believed to be the second largest lesbian gathering in the nation, following The Dinah Shore golf weekend in Palm Springs, CA
"To say any NCAA championship appeals to a certain percentage of a particular segment of the population, especially without any scientific backing, is without merit. The truth is each tournament appeals to a core group of fans but that core is as diverse as the American population itself."
– a statement released by National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in response to the media coverage of Tampa as the "national epicenter for gay women", as thousands of lesbians attend the Final Four basketball tournament, outsports.com, Apr. 6, 2008. will becom
"I'm thrilled to join the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce team and ready to get to work. I share the NGLCC's passion for business growth and development within the LGBT community and I look forward to playing a role in moving these important initiatives forward."
– Richard Ellis, VP of Communications for McDonald's USA, recently elected The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) board of directors, in a press NGLCC release, Mar. 12, 2008.
"McDonald's gave an undisclosed amount of money to the NGLCC in return for being recognized as a major promoter of the homosexual agenda. The chamber then placed Ellis on its board of directors. You have to buy your way onto the board. In other words, McDonald's paid money to be a member of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce…I think it's going to hurt them pretty bad…a boycott of McDonald's is always a possibility in a situation like this."
– Don Wildmon, founder and chairman of the American Family Association, in a national e-mail alert, commenting on McDonald's Corporation's support of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and the fact that McDonald's national VP for communications serves as a member of the NGLCC board of directors, on the BaptistPressNews.net (News with a Christian Perspective), Apr. 3, 2008.
"It's important that everyone feels they can bring their entire self to work. It is your choice to be self-identified or not at Whirlpool. It's about creating a culture where it's OK and safe to self-identify: it's not going to jeopardize your career path in any way."
– Mark McLane, global director of diversity and inclusion at Whirlpool Corporation, quoted in Laura Nguyen's blog titled "Out in the Workplace:, FHOutFront.com, Mar. 31, 2008.
"Our families seek first to understand, and then to be understood, as we break bread and converse with families and leaders at each church. It is our sincere hope that the American Family Outing can be a healing step toward reconciliation."
– Jeff Lutes, executive director of Soulforce, in an appeal to six mega-churches called an "American Family Outing, Gay City News, Apr. 3, 2008. Soulforce, the National Black Justice Coalition, Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere (COLAGE), and the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches sent letters to six mega-churches which embrace the biblical condemnation of homosexuality, with varying intensity, hoping to open a dialogue, hold, potluck dinners, picnics and share the message that "justice for LGBT people is compatible with Christian teaching"
"Homophobes always ask why gay people insist on telling people what we do in our bedrooms (they don't tell people what they do in their bedrooms!). But telling people that I have a male partner doesn't tell anyone what I do in my bedroom – not any more than a straight man telling people he's married tells people what he does in his bedroom. Reasonable people know that being gay isn't about what you do in your bedroom anyway. It's about the way you relate to the world – the way you react to all people, male and female, gay and straight.
– Brent Hartinger, writer of books for and about teens, writing about being gay on his web site, http://www.brenthartinger.com. Hartinger's "Geography Club" is about Russel who is convinced he's the only gay kid in his high school. His online gay-chat buddy turns out to be none other than Kevin, the popular but closeted star of the school's baseball team. Soon Russel meets other gay students too, including his best friend, Min, who reveals she's bisexual and Min's soccer-playing girlfriend, Terese; and Terese's politically active friend, Ike. For readers 13 and up.
"The master plan of the homosexual agenda has been revealed. The National Security Agency has intercepted messages using warrantless wiretapping that confirm the worst fears of the Bush Administration. It seems they have uncovered a plot to redecorate the Statue of Liberty to resemble Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen, change the national anthem to Donna Summers "I'm coming out" and replace baseball and football with softball and pro-golf as the national pastimes."
Waymon Hudson, blogger, writing on April Fools' Day, The Bilerico Project, Apr. 1, 2008.
"Well, let me put it to you this way. There's A's and there's B's. The A's are guys like me, the B's are homosexual faggots with dirt on their fingernails that transmit diseases."
– Tom Lukiwski, Canadian Conservative Member of Parliament, videotaped in 1991 at a booze-fuelled political gathering of party workers at party headquarters, Toronto Star, Apr. 4, 2008.
"I want to apologize to all of my friends and colleagues who are gay or lesbian. I have no idea, Mr. Speaker, what they must think of me now. To say that I am ashamed is…not putting it in strong enough terms. I was stupid, thoughtless and insensitive then, but did not truly believe the comments I made, then or now. My friendship and support of gays and lesbians in my career and personal life has been extremely important to me. Today, I ask their forgiveness. I apologize to the entire gay and lesbian community."
– Tom Lukiwski, Canadian Conservative Member of Parliament, offered an apology during a session of the House of Commons, Toronto Star, Apr. 4, 2008.
"While people can change their views, it is a sobering reminder of a condemning view of homosexuals that still finds a place among politicians. I just know that there is a segment of the Conservative caucus and a segment of a much smaller proportion of the Liberal caucus who really believe that homosexuality is immoral in and of itself, and therefore people who are homosexuals or who are sexually different are not just second-class citizens but beyond the pale."
– David Rayside, professor of political science and director of the centre for sexual diversity studies at the University of Toronto, in an interview after Tom Lukiwski's first apology yesterday, Toronot Star, Apr. 4, 2008.
