Compiled by Tara Cavanaugh
S/he Said
"Every player has played with gay guys. It bothers me when I hear these reporters and jocks get on TV and say: 'Oh, no guy can come out in a team sport. These guys would go crazy.' First of all, quit telling me what I think. I'd rather have a gay guy who can play than a straight guy who can't play."
-Charles Barkley, commenting on a radio show about Phoenix Suns President and CEO Rick Welts coming out as gay, http://www.washingtonpost.com, May 17. Barkley said he knew he had gay teammates during his basketball career and it never bothered him.
"Children in our foster-care system are some of our country's most vulnerable. We must do all we can to find them supportive and loving families. Failing to open every possible door to stable, permanent and loving homes is a grave disservice to these children and to our country."
-Pete Stark, a Democrat from California's 13th Congressional District and the ranking minority member of the House Ways and Means subcommittee on health, in an editorial titled "The parents are all right," http://www.washingtonpost.com, May 20. Stark is introducing the Every Child Deserves A Family Act, which would allow gay parents to adopt foster children.
"A fan said something, and I said something back. I apologized. I don't know what's going to happen. I got caught up. I didn't mean any disrespect to anybody."
-Joakim Noah, apologizing after he called a fan a faggot, http://www.usatoday.com, May 24. Noah met with NBA officials and will pay a $50,000 fine.
"Mr. Cuomo says the state's same-sex couples should be given the right to marry, but he wants to hold back the vote until he is sure the bill will pass — a position supported by some advocates for gay rights. That's the wrong decision. The issue is so important that it deserves a full debate and vote in the Legislature. New Yorkers should know who will stand up for this basic civil right and who won't."
-From a New York Times editorial titled "They Need To Be Counted," http://www.nytimes.com, May 19. The editorial pushes New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to continue backing marriage equality in New York, and for legislators to be open about their position on the issue. A bill granting same-sex marriage in New York could be brought to the floor for debate before the current legislative session ends in a few weeks.
