I Didn't Say It ....

Kristin Chenoweth, on people who use their religion as an anti-gay weapon:

"I think it is very anti-Christian [to hate gay people]. It is the antithesis of what I believe. It is the antithesis of what you should believe if you believe in Jesus. It’s not what he taught, it’s the opposite of what he taught. If Jesus was to walk the Earth today, or Buddha or anybody, they would be horrified. Those people saying they’re doing it in the name of God? No no no no no. I speak as a Christian person, and as a woman and as an artist. I would love nothing more for my friends who love each other to get married. I don’t think it’s a sin, I think we’re born how we’re born. Look at me, I’m 4’11’’, and so if it was a sin to be short, what would I do? Well I’d just be, you know, it’s how God made me."

I love KC. And so it’s nice to see her talk about how she can combine faith and acceptance and understanding that we are all—if you so choose to believe—God’s children.

We’re born how we’re born. Get used to it.

Chris Culliver, of the San Francisco 49ers, who made headlines when he said gays were not welcome in the locker room, on his meeting with The Trevor Project:

"As an African American male, I should know better. Hate and discrimination have a lasting effect, and words matter. I also have a responsibility to myself, and especially to my young fans to be a better role model. The kids who look up to me and other athletes are the future of our country, and our future deserves better than fear, hate and discrimination... I was wrong, and I want to learn how to make it right. That's why I reached out to an organization called The Trevor Project... No child should ever feel like they are less than anyone else, and God has put me through this storm so I can learn from my mistakes and help make sure no child has to feel that way, again."

I'd like to withhold praise, for now. The cynic in me sometimes wonders if, after some people get nailed for their homophobic rants or Tweets, and they suddenly become so, um, tolerant, if it isn’t just an act to repair their tarnished image.

I’m hoping Culliver means what he says today more than what he said a couple of months ago.

Mitt Romney, auditioning for a job at FauxNews, reminding us once again why he is unelectable:

"I believe that marriage is a relationship between a man and a women, and that's because I believe the ideal setting for raising a child is where there's a mother and a father in the home. Other people have differing views and I respect that, whether that's in my party or in the Democratic Party. But these are very personal matters. My hope is that when we discuss things of this nature, we show respect for people who have differing views."

Yes, he’ll be respectful of my view that marriage should be equal but he doesn’t share that view.

And, sorry Mittsy The Unelectable, but it’s not a personal issue, it’s a matter of equality, legality and discrimination.

Believe what you want, legislate equality.

Bill Clinton, on the Defense of Marriage Act [DOMA]:

“As the president who signed the act into law, I have come to believe that DOMA is contrary to those principles and, in fact, incompatible with our Constitution. ... When I signed the bill, I included a statement with the admonition that 'enactment of this legislation should not, despite the fierce and at times divisive rhetoric surrounding it, be understood to provide an excuse for discrimination.' Reading those words today, I know now that, even worse than providing an excuse for discrimination, the law is itself discriminatory. It should be overturned."

Nicely said.

And while I was angry at the time of the signing of DOMA, I am pleased to see that Clinton has come around and realized that separate is never, has never been, and will never be, equal.

"Suga" Rashad Evans, UFC fighter, signing the amicus brief sent to SCOTUS by Brendon Ayanbadejo and Chris Kluwe:

“I've never been a homophobe, never understood what that is all about. I knew some people who were gay and never cared about their sexuality. But at the same time, I didn't fully understand the issues around gay people until my friend BA [Brendan Ayanbadejo] started telling me about his full public support for gay marriage. We talked about the issue and I decided it’s not enough to not be against a minority, if you want things to go better for them you have to speak up with them. ... I'm a UFC fighter, a macho-type sport. I am a heterosexual guy in a tough macho sport, which is exactly the reason I feel a duty to say I support gay marriage and gay rights. ... I have nothing to gain personally from supporting this issue, and that's the point. Society as a whole is better when there is equality, and I want to live in a country where everyone has the same rights because we all benefit from that. ... What people overlook is that it isn't a sex issue, it’s a love issue. There's no justifiable reason for trying to get in the way of two people who love each other. ... I have kids. I don't want them growing up in a society where they, or their friends, could be second class citizens based on which person they fall in love with or who they want to be happy with.”

Welcome to the club, “Suga,” and thanks for stating it all so beautifully.

Cyndi Lauper, on Donald Trump:

"I’m not going to kiss ass with somebody like that...I felt that what he said about the gay community was disappointing because a lot of gay people work for him. It’s just sad. I thought he could have done better for his country than just go to the lowest common denominator and stir up the crap. It’s our country, it’s not wrestling. If you try and make our president fail, it doesn’t matter who he is, you make our country fail. And if you really are a patriot, if you really give a sh*t about our country, you don’t do stuff like that. First of all, you’re an entertainer, and you make ugly buildings, and you’re famous for it. And you have a reality show with very high ratings. Don’t step into the forum like that. Become educated with facts. Don’t just be a sh*t-stirrer. Our country is in trouble and he keeps wanting to make [Obama] fail. Let’s call a spade a spade. The guy’s a black man and that’s your issue? What kind of idiot are you? Come on.”

Team Cyndi. All the way.

Peter Tatchell, British activist, on the Queen's signing of the new Commonwealth Charter--which some say is a sign of her support for LGBT right:

"Media reports are wrong. The Queen has NOT expressed support for LGBT equality. The Commonwealth Charter that she’s signing includes no pledge on LGBT rights. LGBT rights were deliberately excluded. In 61 years as Queen, she has never publicly uttered the words lesbian or gay. She is a patron of hundreds of charities but none of them are gay ones. Not once has she visited or supported a gay charity. For the last four years, I’ve been pressing Buckingham Palace over the Queen’s failure to acknowledge the existence of LGBT people - and got nowhere. ... The Commonwealth Charter does not include any specific rejection of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. This was vetoed by the homophobic majority of member states. They blocked its inclusion in the charter. This makes the Queen’s signing of the charter even less of a big deal. It is certainly not the breakthrough for LGBT rights that some people are claiming." 

Let’s be clear, the Queen is not about the queens.

Jeanne Ives, Illinois Republican Representative, on voting against marriage equality:

"They're trying to redefine marriage. It's a completely disordered relationship and when you have a disordered relationship, you don’t ever get order out of that. So I’m more than happy to take a 'no' vote on the issue of homosexual marriage. … I'm more than happy to stand up and take a courageous vote here on this issue because it's the right thing to do. Essentially what they’re trying to do is not just redefine marriage, they’re trying to redefine society. They’re trying to weasel their way into acceptability so that they can then start to push their agenda down into the schools, because this gives them some sort of legitimacy. And we can’t allow that to happen. The rights to marriage, it's really a natural right.  It’s the natural right of the child to be with both parents, either in an adoptive nature or in a biological nature. To not have a mother and a father is really a disordered state for a child to grow up in and it really makes that child an object of desire rather than the result of a matrimony."

Where, oh where, to begin.

First off, Jeanne, you’re an idiot. Tell me how I am redefining marriage? Tell me how I am weaseling my way into being accepted, and then tell me why I need to be accepted by the likes of you. Tell me why you’ve just said children in single-parent homes are less well-off than children in two-parents, oops, mommy and daddy only, homes.

You can’t keep spouting the same nonsense and not be asked to explain why …. And just repeating it is not an explanation. So, maybe, Jeanne, once your brain clicks in, you’re realize you aren’t being courageous, you’re just goose-stepping along with the bigots and homophobes, and is that really where you want to go?

I Didn't Say It ....

David Lammy, UK Labour MP, speaking before the House of Commons debate before they voted to approve marriage equality:
"Let me speak frankly.
Separate but equal” is a fraud. Separate but equal” is the language that tried to push Rosa Parks to the back of the bus. Separate but equal” is the motif that determined that black and white could not possibly drink from the same water fountain, eat at the same table or use the same toilets. “Separate but equal” are the words that justified sending black children to different schools from their white peers – schools that would fail them and condemn them to a life of poverty.
It is an excerpt from the phrasebook of the segregationists and the racists. It is the same statement, the same ideas and the same delusion that we borrowed in this country to say that women could vote – but not until they were 30. It is the same naivety that gave made my dad a citizen in 1956 but refused to condemn the landlords that proclaimed “no blacks, no Irish, no dogs”. It entrenched who we were, who our friends could be and what our lives could become.
This was not “Separate but equal” but “Separate AND discriminated”,
“Separate AND oppressed”.
“Separate AND browbeaten”.
“Separate AND subjugated”.
Separate is NOT equal, so let us be rid of it.
Because as long as there is one rule for us and another for them, we allow the barriers to acceptance to stand unchallenged. As long as our statute books suggest that the love between two men or two women is unworthy of being recognised through marriage, we allow the rot of homophobia to fester."

Not much else to say when someone puts it so succinctly, concisely, and eloquently.


President Obama, on whether or not the Boy Scouts of America should open their organization to gay members: 

"Yes. My attitude is that gays and lesbians should have access and opportunity the same way everybody else does, in every institution and walk of life. The Scouts are a great institution that are promoting young people and exposing them to opportunities and leadership that will serve people for the rest of their lives. And I think nobody should be barred from that."

Plain and simple: Yes.

Michael Musto, on former NYC mayor Ed Koch, who died last week:

"It's a shame the ex-NYC mayor never came out. It's tragic that he hid behind excuses like the fact that he was old and wasn't sexual at all anymore. Old people are still sexual--and if you're gay, you're still gay--and besides, he could have commented on his past. But Ed was so paranoid on the subject that when I interviewed him in the '90s, he propped up a tape recorder to tape me as I recorded him. It was a creepy double game of 'gotcha!' that led nowhere (though he was otherwise gruffly charming) .... The world is now an emptier place, but so is the celebrity closet."

Just another example of the closeted life some folks lead, and how, no matter how successful, how important, they still carry a sense of shame about being gay.

Gabby Giffords, at the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on gun violence:
"Thank you for inviting me here today. This is an important conversation for our children, for our communities, for Democrats and Republicans. Speaking is difficult, but I need to say something important. Violence is a big problem. Too many children are dying. Too many children. We must do something. It will be hard, but the time is now. You must act. Be bold, be courageous. Americans are counting on you. Thank you."

Out of the mouths of victims of gun violence ....

Hopefully we can fix this thing.

Chris Culliver, San Francisco 49er cornerback, on having gay players in the NFL:
"I don't do the gay guys man. I don't do that. No, we don't got no gay people on the team, they gotta get up out of here if they do....Can't be with that sweet stuff. Nah…can't be…in the locker room man. Nah."

Sounds to me like he obsesses a little too much about gay guys in the locker-room, but let me break it down for him like this:

He seems to think that a young gay kid will learn to play football, and become so good at it that he gets chosen to play for a good college. And then, at that college, where he excels in football, he is seen by NFL scouts and then picked to be part of a professional football team. And gay guys go through all of that so they can be in the locker-room with naked athletes?

Howsabout just joining a gym? Seems simpler.

Chris Culliver, apologizing, sort of:

"The derogatory comments I made yesterday were a reflection of thoughts in my head, but they are not how I feel. It has taken me seeing them in print to realize that they are hurtful and ugly. Those discriminating feelings are truly not in my heart. Further, I apologize to those who I have hurt and offended, and I pledge to learn and grow from this experience."

Um, the thoughts in your head? They aren't how you feel?

So, it was a voice in your head that made you stupid?

Hopefully, one day, you'll be able to separate the intelligent thoughts in your head from the asinine thoughts in your head.

Brendon Ayanbadejo, Baltimore Raven, on Culliver's anti-gay remarks:
"You know, I think that in San Francisco, and being from the Bay Area myself, that's something that we really try to preach--love and acceptance of everybody. And so I couldn't really even say anything negative to the young man. It's just one of those things where you have to live and you have to learn. And I said earlier on--in the words of Martin Luther King, you can't fight hate with hate. You have to fight hate with love. We've all made our mistakes, we've all been there and done certain things, and we've hurt people regardless if we meant to do it or not. But more than anything it's an opportunity to have a learning experience….I've preached since day one to my teammates that there's certain words you can't say. And when they're around me they know -- if B.A.'s around, you can't say 'gay' in a derogatory manner, you can't say the three-letter 'f' word. And I tell them, I go, you can't say those things. And if people hear you say those things, regardless if you mean them or not, they're going to fry you. And if it's in a public arena your whole reputation's going to be roasted for it. So we've kind of seen it happen this time. So we just have to all learn from what happened, from this mistake. He apologized and hopefully he'll learn. And he's in the Bay Area, and it's really important there, it's pertinent there. So I think he's going to learn and he's going to grow to be a better person for it."

Maybe he needs a good long sit down with Brendon.

Couldn't hurt.

Terrell Suggs, Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker, on the idea of a gay teammate: 
“On this team, with so many different personalities, we just accept people for who they are and we don’t really care too much about a player’s sexuality. To each their own. You know who you are, and we accept you for it.”

As it should be.

Beyoncé, on LipsyncGate:
"I am a perfectionist. I did not have time to rehearse with the orchestra for a live television show and a very very important emotional show for me one of my proudest moments. I did not feel comfortable taking a risk. It was about the president and the inauguration and I wanted to make him and our country proud so I decided to sing along with my prerecorded track. I'm very proud of my performance."

She's a perfectionist who doesn't have time to rehearse? It was a very important and emotional performance but she didn’t have time to rehearse?

It was about the president but all she talks about is what the moment meant to her.

Be proud, Beyoncé. Kelly's proud, too, and she sang  live.

Bill Donohoe, Catholic wingnut, on the story of the ‘gay’ dog in Tennessee:

"This week in Tennessee a dog was rescued from being euthanized (one news outlet said he was being spared 'the Gas Chamber') because the condition driving the dog’s death was his alleged homosexuality (the owner was ticked when he saw his Fido hunch another male dog). For reasons that appear entirely reasonable, the gal who rescued the dog named him Elton. The place where Elton was dropped encourages dog adoption, but it also promotes dog euthanasia. Not, however, in Elton’s case: the shelter has no stomach for putting dogs down on the basis of sexual orientation. It must be said, though, that the shelter is not exactly inclusive in its policies. To wit: Had poor Elton not been identified as a homosexual, his heterosexuality would not have been enough to save his hide. The moral of the story is: Being gay is not only a bonus for humans these days, it is a definite plus for dogs as well. As for straights, the lonely and the disabled, that’s another story altogether."

Someone needs a nap if he thinks the dog was saved because he was gay.

The dog was saved because there was no legitimate reason to put him down.

Iain Dale, British columnist, on the marriage equality battle, and hypocrisy of the naysayers, in Great Britain:

"I’ve been looking at the Coalition for Equal Marriage’s website, and their list of MPs who intend to vote against allowing gay people to marry on Tuesday. I note with interest the names of several MPs who most people in the Westminster Village know to be closet case gays. And I note also the names of two supposedly straight MPs who I know to be conducting gay affairs at the moment. I don’t believe in ‘outing’ anyone, but because of the rank hypocrisy there will be others who will take a different view. How is it possible to be married yourself, and yet at the same time vote to deny that privilege to someone whose pants you have just pulled down?"

Ouch.

If I were one of those closeted MPs, I might watch my step in the next few weeks or I might find myself on the front page of a London tabloid with my hand in some cookie's jar.

Rick Santorum, on plans this week by the Boy Scouts to drop its ban on The Gays: 

"Scouting prepares boys and teenagers to be virtuous men in a world that desperately needs men who are brave enough to stand up for those principles, to live by the moral code of the Scout Oath and Law and hold themselves to that standard – whether at the schoolyard or in the boardroom. Scouting may not survive this transformation of American society, but for the sake of the average boy in America, I hope the board of the Scouts doesn’t have its fingerprints on the murder weapon."

Virtuous men cannot be gay, I guess, in Frothy's world.

Good thing even his own party finds him unworthy of recognition so he resorts to conservative blogs to Froth up his bigotry.