I Didn't Say It

Seeing as how tomorrow is the National Day Of Silence, a movement aimed at preventing anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools, I will go silent. And I would urge my other LGBT bloggers, and supporters, to do the same.

And since I'll be quiet tomorrow--and you don't know how thrilled Carlos is to hear this--I will present I Didn't Say it a day early.

Let's rip:

Dorothy Hamill, on what it means to be born a woman:
"If I hadn't been born a woman I would have certainly been gay, because I love sparkles and ruffles and color."
Um, Dottie? We know you're a friend to the LGBT community, but this little statement really stereotypes gay men; we don't all like fluffy, ruffly, colorful things any more than lesbians like plaid, Doc Martens and powertools....
They do?
Never mind.
Now, let me go back to washing my sparkly undies.
I kid. A little.

Lady GaGa, on living the celibate life:
"I can't believe I'm saying this — don't have sex. I'm single right now and I've chosen to be single because I don't have the time to get to know anybody. So it's OK not to have sex, it's OK to get to know people. I'm celibate, celibacy's fine.
It's OK to be whomever it is that you want to be. You don't have to have sex to feel good about yourself, and if you're not ready, don't do it. And if you are ready, there are free condoms given away at my concerts when you're leaving! … I remember the cool girls when I was growing up. Everyone started to have sex. But it's not really cool anymore to have sex all the time. It's cooler to be strong and independent."
Methinks GaGa will do more for abstinence than poster child, and baby mama, Bristol Palin.

Afghanistan veteran R.D. on DADT [courtesy of Joe.My.God.]:
"I had a very bad session with my workout partner tonight. He is the person I am closest to in Afghanistan yet even he knows very little about my life. He asked if I was married and I lied, telling him I was divorced. Damn. I hate lying; I can count on one hand how often I have told a lie in the past 20 years. Yet if I told him I was a never-married, 42-year-old male it would have been too risky. If I told the truth I could be fired and go home to face unemployment. Why in the world would any soldier be fired for being honest? Because I am a gay soldier and it is illegal to say so. It is illegal for me to tell not just anyone in the military but anyone in the world – my parents, my siblings – even my best friend."

Barney Frank, on Obama's lack of support on DADT:
“I’m frustrated. I’m disappointed with the administration, in part. There have been some good things. Admiral Mullen saying what he said was spectacular. And enforcing it the way it was originally supposed to--even though I didn’t like it--discharges can be cut by over 90 percent.
But there will be a vote in the House. Rep. Patrick Murphy is going to offer his amendment. I think we’ll pass it in the House and then in the Senate--I’m told by some of the Senate leadership that they don’t think they have the votes to repeal it.....[Obama's] not being for it will give people an excuse to not vote for it. Thing is--we’ve done hate crimes. We do ENDA. It’s a big agenda all at once. At this point--the President’s refusal to call for repeal this year is a problem.”

Shia LaBeouf , on drinking:
"I've been in a lot of trouble. I've been arrested a bunch of times. I fucked around for a while, so now I don't drink any more. Right now. But that's just today. Drinking is shitty for me, I don't know how to compose myself. I don't know how to drink like a gentleman. When I drink, I get crazy. I have never had a beer because I like the taste of beer. I always had a beer to get fucked up."
Hey Shia, you're getting to be a hot piece of LaBeouf, so maybe take down the boozing a notch. it might be fun, at first, but in the end, it gets ugly.
Need proof? Two words: Mel.Gibson.

Constance McMillan, posting on Facebook:
"OK whoever is targeting my classmates really need to stop. It's cruel and actually there are a lot of people including my girlfriend that have been receiving messages and having hateful things said about them just because they live in Itawamba county. There are alot of supporters that are getting harassed it shames me and actually it is just making me sad. One of my really good friends just showed up to my house crying because something was said about her. She has been supporting me through this and it is not right what yall are doing is not supporting me let ppl talk their shit about me. I dont care but this is more disgusting than what they are doing to me. I have always said to be respectful of people otherwise you dont get your message across. So yall please please if yall support me please stop doing this. Its not helping anything and it is hurting alot of innocent people."

Phil Collins, on album of Motown covers, and why he won't bring anything new to them:
"It shouldn't really be a surprise to anyone that I've finally made an album of my favourite Motown songs. These songs, along with a couple of Dusty Springfield tracks, a Phil Spector/Ronettes tune, and one by the Impressions, make up the tapestry, the backdrop, of my teenage years. I remember it as if it was yesterday, going to the Marquee Club in London's Soho and watching The Who, The Action, and many others, playing these songs. In turn I'd go out the next day to buy the original versions. My idea, though, was not to bring anything new to these already great records, but to try to recreate the sounds and feelings that I had when I first heard them. There was one moment when they were tracking (Martha Reeves & The Vandellas hit) Heat Wave that I experienced a wave of happiness and wonder that this was actually happening to me."
Hey Phil, just a thought: if I wanna hear Martha Reeves & The Vandellas Heat Wave, I'll probably listen to them, if you're not bringing anything new to it.
Just sayin'.



Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love, on marriage equality:
"Instead of trying to 'save' the institution of marriage by excluding gay couples from matrimony, maybe it's smarter to rescue marriage by letting same-sex couples move in and gentrify the place. It's a cute argument, but it has a strong historic resonance --- every few generations, marriage opens its doors a little wider and lets in a new population who had previously been excluded, and that breathes new life into the whole institution."
Sound argument, Liz. The Gays do know how to make things pretty.