I Didn't Say It ...

President Obama, on if he thinks there will be nationwide marriage equality while still in office:

"The Supreme Court now is going to be taking on a case, my hope is that they go ahead and recognize what I think the majority of people in America now recognize which is that two people who love each other and are treating each other with respect and aren't bothering anybody else, why would the law treat them differently? There's no good reason for it. So as a consequence, I'm hopeful the Supreme Court comes to the right decision, but I will tell you, peoples' hearts have opened up on this issue. People know that treating folks unfairly, even if you disagree with their lifestyle choice, they're not bothering you. Let them live their lives and under the law they should be treated equally and as far as me personally, just to see all the loving gay and lesbian couples that I know who are great parents and great partners, the idea that we wouldn't treat them like the brothers and sisters that they are, that doesn't make any sense."

I’m loving that he’s still talking openly about this issue, though, yes, I wish he hadn’t called it a “lifestyle choice” because it’s neither.

It’s a life.

Ben Carson, Tea Party wingnut, on baker’s who refuse to make cakes for same-sex weddings:

"What I have a problem with is when people try to force people to act against their beliefs because they say 'they're discriminating against me.' So they can go right down the street and buy a cake, but no, let's bring a suit against this person because I want them to make my cake even though they don't believe in it. Which is really not all that smart because they might put poison in that cake."  

No one is asking that you act against your beliefs; we’re simply asking that, if you are a business, you cater to everyone equally.

Oh, and Ben, you f**king loon? I hope that if some wingnut who looks up to you — while most of us look down on you — bakes a poison cake for a same-sex wedding, that you are indicted as a co-conspirator.

PS You’re an idiot and you are crazy, no matter how many times you say you aren’t.

Patrick Stewart, on his support of the LGBT community:

"When I look back to my early career and early experience, my ease and comfort being in the company of and intimately close with gay and lesbian colleagues and friends was always, for me, the most natural, and I might even say at times appealing aspects of the life I was living. I think this is where the theater is such an appealing world, because it embraces everything and always has. So there was never a moment where I made an intellectual choice that I would be a supporter of gay civil rights. It was always a natural and uncomplicated choice."

It really is that simple; if you know a gay person, you’ll find out they aren’t so different from anybody else, and you’ll more than likely stand up for them.

Michael Urie, openly gay actor, responding to Billy Crystal’s statement about having a problem with gay sex scenes — Crystal clarified that he meant all sex scenes:

"I don’t think it’s overexposed. If gay sex on TV is too much for you, change the channel and don’t watch it, it’s not for you. I think there is far too much football on TV. But I’m not going around saying they should take football off the air; I’m changing the channel."

That’s all it takes. Change.The.Channel.

Benedict Cumberbatch, on diversity in films, and sticking his foot in his mouth a bit:

“[In America,] it’s an even playing field. [These actors] paid their dues for years by just doing beautiful performances. I think as far as coloured actors go it gets really difficult in the UK, and a lot of my friends have had more opportunities here [in the US] than in the UK and that’s something that needs to change. Something’s gone wrong, we’re not representative enough in our culture of different races and that really does need to step up a pace.”

Okay, so he said coloured — or colored, this side of the pond — and people went ape-sh*t. But, I wonder if, in the UK, it’s not still an acceptable term and not seen as a pejorative term.

David Oyelowo, who played MLK in Selma, coming to Cumberbatch’s defense:

“I think it’s ridiculous. When you look at what he was actually saying it’s clear that he’s a huge supporter of black performers. To attack him for a term, as opposed to what he was actually saying, I think is very disingenuous and is indicative of the age we live in where people are looking for sound bites as opposed to substance. … In America we use the term ‘people of colour’. Is that a million miles different than saying coloured? I know it’s an outdated term but… he was clearly doing something that I think was pretty beautiful.”

I agree with Oyelowo; people took that one word, a mistake or not, and ran with that instead of actually listening to what Cumberbatch was saying. And, again, I wonder, is ‘people of color’ acceptable but ‘colored people’ is not? Anyone?