Compiled by Howard Israel
S/he Said
"This poll absolutely confirms every other research I've seen, which all conclude that those under 30 support our full equal rights to a greater degree than those over 65 oppose it, and that as the demographic shift occurs, the debate evaporates. And that is exceedingly encouraging news."
-California State Senator Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, about a new a national report titled "Generations at Odds: The Millennial Generation and the Future of Gay and Lesbian Rights," that shows 18-29 year olds, also known as "millennials," are more supportive of marriage equality than older generations, The Bay Area Reporter, http://ebar.com, Sept. 1. More than 62 percent of millenials favor allowing same-sex couples to marry; 69 percent favor permitting gay and lesbian couples to adopt. Only 31 percent of seniors favor allowing same-sex marriages; 36 percent favor permitting gay and lesbian couples to adopt children.
"Why, Senator Arango! Your asshole is looking so slim these days! You simply must share your workout routine with me!"
-Dan Savage, in his blog titled "Reading Slog at Work on Monday Morning! Wanna See an Anti-Gay Republican Senator's Butthole? Sure Ya Do…," about anti-gay Puerto Rican GOP territorial Sen. Roberto Arango, who displayed explicit naked photos of himself on a gay hookup phone app and dismissed the revelation by saying he was documenting his weight loss regimen, http://slog.thestranger.com, Aug. 29. Arango has resigned his Senate seat.
"I feel compelled to ask the question, how long? How long must we wait for a change to come? How long must other transgender women of color, like myself, be subjected to the hands of hate, the vestige of violence, and the devastating effects of discrimination? As a transgender woman of color, I know all too well the violence, ignorance and discrimination that accompany the lives of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. There isn't much that compares to the humiliation, rejection and fear of living your life as an out and proud transgender woman of color. To face discrimination and biased attitudes is one thing; to stare down the barrel of a loaded weapon is another."
-Ja'briel Walthour, transgender advocate, in her column titled "One Day Our Change Will Come: A Call to Raise Awareness and End Violence Against Transgender Women of Color," about the recent murders of Camila Guzman and Lashai Mclean and violence faced by transgender and gender non-conforming people, http://www.huffingtonpost.com, Aug. 30.
"Growing up as a guy who felt attracted to guys and who was always a bit of a sissy, I moved in and out of public school, Christian college, the Roman Catholic and then Evangelical churches, and the mission field, but I understood that these worlds did not fully welcome me. My admittance and subsequent service in these came with conditions — namely I had to straighten myself out. I needed to be a heterosexual, masculine (gender-normative) man. In essence, I had to strap myself into a Straight Jacket. Not that there is anything wrong with straight folks; it's just that I wasn't one and did everything in my power (and God's power) to change all that."
-Peterson Toscano, in his blog titled "Lazarus, Come Out!," about his experiences as an ex-gay treatment survivor, http://petersontoscano.wordpress.com, Aug. 10.
