“I'm excited for the new crop of gay comics who have never been closeted, who never thought that they needed to put on a dress to tell a joke, and it's exciting.” NeededGayJokesExcitingDressesExcitedCrops Author:Guy Branum
“I came from a pretty accepting community, and my school had a lot of openly gay and LGBT-plus people. When I joined YouTube, I saw a lot more hostility than I saw in my everyday life.” PeopleSchoolCommunityAcceptingSawsGayEverydayLgbtPlusEveryday LifeHostilityYoutube Author:Tyler Oakley
“What happened in the 80's was that all the men died of AIDS. That was a particularly depressing time because so many people passed away and it was a very desperate and lonely time, so I think a lot of people felt that we were somehow, unreceived. Not only by the disease but also by the public image of the disease. It really gave homophobia a real shot in the arm and changed the way people viewed gays, queers. It became an entirely different atmosphere.” PeopleThinkingMenWayDifferentRealFeltHappenedChangedHe ManArmsGayDiseaseShotsLonelyDiedAidsAtmosphereDesperateDepressingHomophobiaPassed AwayPublic Image Author:Margaret Cho
“I think I started out okay but with AIDS came a great deal of silence about gayness and this period of lose and morning, but at the same time a kind of feeling like you wanted to get back into the closet because being gay was such a terrible thing at that point.” ThinkingKindFeelingsWantedLosesDealsSilenceMorningLike YouPeriodsTerribleGayOkayAidsGet BackClosetsTerrible ThingsBeing GayGayness Author:Margaret Cho
“I don't understand the whole Christian conservativism doesn't make sense to me because I was raised very Christian and its kind of an odd thing but my parents, my family is also very conservative in their own way but I understand the bible and I studied Christianity very well and I don't see where the hatred of gays comes from because it really defeats Christ's purpose.” WayWellsKindWholeChristianPurposeParentChristChristianityGayMy FamilyHatredRaisedDefeatConservativeMake SenseOddOdd Things Author:Margaret Cho
“People like Sean Penn, he is someone that is politically progressive and yet is still at the top of his game in the industry. So I love that he is out there just virtually shaming all the people that voted for Prop 8. He was a really great example of a straight ally, someone who used his talent and used his ability to further our cause, not just for political progressiveness but also specifically for gay marriage and specifically for Harvey Milk's entire life.” PeopleStillsPoliticalUsedGamesCausesAbilityTalentExampleIndustryGayProgressiveAlliesMilkReally GreatGay MarriagePropsSeanHarvey Author:Margaret Cho
“We all get one life to live here. It's 2012, and for gay and lesbian couples who are in love, not to be able to be married is so absurd.” AbleCoupleGayMarriedAbsurdBeing MarriedOne Life To Live Author:Howard Stern
“There's just too many people being bullied, too many people's lives being wrecked. This is something that is long overdue. We all have gay and lesbian people in our families, and these are good people.” PeopleLongGayOur FamilyGood PeopleBulliedOverdueBeing Bullied Author:Howard Stern
“These nutbags, like Santorum and Bachmann, who make these people and especially young gay kids feel miserable, shame on them. They're quacks. I would never vote for them. I wouldn't even listen to them because there but for the grace of God go they.” PeopleFeelsKidsYoungGraceGayVoteShameMiserableGrace Of GodQuacks Author:Howard Stern
“I remember hearing about when U2 first came out and came to America and the gay community was their biggest following. And they were totally surprised, but they were like, that's cool. And for me it's the same thing.” FirstsAmericaRememberCommunityGayFollowingHearingGay Community Author:Colin Munroe
“People that are much younger in areas that are much more, kind of, disenfranchised, I guess, as far as the gay movement goes, they still have a language that they've discovered around things. And they have a vocabulary to use, and they have a way to express themselves even when they're not accepted.” PeopleWayKindStillsUseLanguageMovementGayAreasAcceptedVocabularyDisenfranchised Author:Amy Ray
“The only thing I have going on at a personal level is just the way I knew I was gay and I knew what that meant inside me, but the gender aspect of who I am came later.” WayLevelsGayAspectGenderWho I Am Author:Amy Ray
“I feel like there are a lot of people doing a lot of hard work. I think it's too early to judge, and I don't think the gay community is in any way falling short.” PeopleThinkingWayFeelsHardFallCommunityJudgingHard WorkGayGay Community Author:Amy Ray
“If you're a teacher, for instance, there are ways to have positive representation of gay people in the classroom. Making sure that, historically, people are noted and archived, and that kids are getting just positive images of people who are gay.” PeopleIfsWayKidsTeacherGayInstanceClassroomRepresentationGay PeoplePositive Image Author:Amy Ray
“I feel I must acknowledge that gay people are, generally speaking, funnier, more self-sufficient, and better in crises and I should step aside and let them handle the business whenever it comes up.” PeopleFeelsShouldSelfStepsGayCrisisCome UpHandleAcknowledgeSufficientGay PeopleSelf Sufficient Author:Thao Nguyen
“Christians lost the battle in the public square over gay marriage because, frankly, we were outthought, outfought, and outmarketed on the issue.” ChristianLostIssuesGayBattleSquaresGay Marriage Author:Robert Jeffress
“I think Justin Timberlake verges on being gay, he gets gay airplay. Britney gets loads as well. If you're male and you're black you're not going to get much play in a gay club.” IfsThinkingWellsPlayBlackGayMalesClubsLoadVergeBeing GayJustin Author:Andy Bell
“Las Vegas does have its fair share of males in the business. But the male sex trade is often more underground. There are escort services that specify in gay prostitution, although it may not be advertised for the public, but if you are a male calling for a male, or female calling for a female, you will get what you ask for as long as the money is right.” IfsMayLongDoeAsksSexShareCallingGayFemaleFairsTradeMalesVegasProstitutionLas VegasFair Share Author:Annie Lobert
“I feel like I've always had gay fans, I don't think my dating a woman has changed my demographic, but it certainly changed the way I feel about politics.” ThinkingWayFeelsFansChangedGayDatingDemographics Author:Sia Furler
“Suddenly you're at church and you hear someone pray, "For gays and lesbians, that they might realize their [sins]...." That's happening less and less now, but all it takes is one of those when you're nine, ten, eleven, twelve - and it's hard to describe to people who aren't, because of course if you're not gay, an eleven- or twelve-year-old wouldn't even remember that that happened.” PeopleIfsYearsHardMightRememberCoursesRealizingChurchSinHappenedPrayingGayTenHappeningsNineTwelveEleven Author:Stephen Karam
“As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls and old gay men together - there's a safety. They make a shield from all of the bad things they've experienced in the world. They make a home together. There are no songs about that. I don't know if you remember, but there was a show a long time ago called 'Love, Sidney.'” IfsKnowsMenWorldFeelsChildrenLittlesLongShowsHomeCareTogetherRememberSongGirlGayLong TimeSafetyBad ThingsLong Time AgoShieldsGay MenTake Care Of Me Author:Margaret Cho
“I love travel shows. I love Anthony Bourdain. I love No Reservations. I always learn so much, and I wanted to see one from a gay perspective that explored LGBT communities around the world.” WorldShowsWantedCommunityPerspectiveGayAround The WorldLgbtReservationsLgbt CommunityNo Reservations Author:Ellen Page
“You don't bring in a gay character as a way of commenting on gay issues. You have one there because he's real, and that's his life, no less so than your life is yours.” WayRealCharacterLife IsIssuesGay Author:Teju Cole
“The Washington Post speaking out against state legislation that he believed would let businesses deny services to gay, lesbian and transgender people. [Tim] Cook himself came out as gay in the pages of Bloomberg Businessweek.” PeopleStatesGayPagesDenyPostsCooksLegislationTransgenderSpeaking Out Author:Laura Sydell
“My experience of coming out was very much centered around the bar scene. And what happened for me is that when I turned 18 and was old enough to get into certain gay bars in the French Quarter, I became a regular customer.” EnoughCertainHappenedSceneGayCustomersBarsQuartersComing OutFrench Quarter Author:Christopher Rice
“Ultimately, I felt fortunate, because in many ways I did identify with aspects of being gay that were very stereotypical. I was a big theatre kid in high school, I was creative, I was very emotionally sensitive, even hypersensitive. I loved female divas.” WayBigsKidsSchoolFeltCreativeGayHigh SchoolFemaleAspectTheatreFortunateSensitiveBeing Gay Author:Christopher Rice
“The sort of public sex aspects of gay male sexuality did not appeal to me. And it wasn't just a matter of being afraid of them or being too nervous to try them. I did try them and they didn't work for me, they didn't feed me spiritually, they didn't leave me gratified.” TryingMatterSexGayAspectMalesSexualityNervousAppealsLeaving MeBeing Afraid Author:Christopher Rice
“It never occurred to me to write anything that didn't include gay characters in it.” WritingCharacterGay Author:Christopher Rice
“I had seen the gay social chronicle done abundantly and done very well. And I didn't want to do any more of that myself, I wanted us to be included in the popular mainstream of entertainment fiction.” WantWellsDoneWantedSocialFictionGayEntertainmentMainstreamChronicles Author:Christopher Rice
“I think the gay community, as a whole, is slighted by high-profile figures who remain in the closet. But I think that a lot of times we need to ask ourselves what that person's role in our community would be if they were out of the closet.” IfsThinkingNeedsPersonsWholeWould BeAsksCommunityRolesFiguresGayClosetsOur CommunityProfileGay CommunityHigh ProfileSlighted Author:Christopher Rice
“I think dragging someone out of the closet who isn't necessarily engaged in anti-gay activities can have a destructive effect on them and on us. I don't want unwilling gay people advocating on my behalf; I think that's a challenge.” PeopleThinkingWantChallengesEffectsGayActivityEngagedDestructiveClosetsBehalfWant UUnwillingGay PeopleAdvocatingAnti Gay Author:Christopher Rice
“I think for gay people to see gay people living honestly about everything they do is really a contribution.” PeopleThinkingGayHonestlyContributionGay People Author:Christopher Rice
“I think there are profound differences between the civil rights struggle for African Americans and the civil rights struggle for gay Americans.” ThinkingDifferencesStruggleRightsGayProfoundCivil RightsAfrican American Author:Christopher Rice
“I can imagine that if you're a kid growing up somewhere, where you might be gay or you think you're gay, but you don't know who else would be ... you become very closeted.” IfsThinkingKnowsI CanMightWould BeKidsGrowing UpGrowingImagineGayBe YouImagine ThatKids Growing Up Author:Rib Hillis
“I feel like when being raised in New York City I have a particular perspective on things like Gay issues maybe, because I'm in the middle of Manhattan.” FeelsCitiesIssuesMiddleNew YorkParticularPerspectiveGayRaisedNew York CityManhattanPerspective On Things Author:Joy Behar
“Gay marriage is a complete red herring to distract everyone from the economy and the war and health care and education.” WarCareEconomyGayRedHealth CareGay MarriageHerringRed Herrings Author:David O. Russell
“All the songs on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot are the encapsulation of heterosexual love. I have different records for gay sex.” DifferentSongSexRecordsGayHotelYankees Author:Margaret Cho
“Anything Vince Clarke, whether it's Erasure, Yaz, or Depeche Mode. It's basically R&B with synths. It's very sexy music and perfect for gay sex.” SexPerfectGaySexyDepeche Mode Author:Margaret Cho
“You don't pigeonhole yourself, people pigeonhole you. If the world is not at a place yet where it can just be like, "This music is gay and it's music," then it's not my fault that it gets pigeonholed, it's not the people in the band's fault, it's because people won't just let music be music, people who need to put a name on something or to critique something.” PeopleIfsWorldNeedsNamesGayBandMusic IsFaultsCritique Author:Beth Ditto
“I think if the world were a fair and just place, there wouldn't even need to be a gay label.” IfsThinkingWorldNeedsGayFairsLabels Author:Beth Ditto
“So often, I have seen really, really talented performers never quite relating to material. I mean, there's a lot of gay actors, for example, that are obviously gay. They're not going to be able to do some of the material. Some of them they can, some of them they can't.” MeanAbleActorsExampleMaterialsGayPerformersNever Quit Author:Julie Halston
“You know, it's a very treatable disease. You shouldn't feel ashamed. But I'm afraid that's carried on very much so from the first days of AIDS, when it was basically a gay disease. And then, of course, you know, it affected everybody.” KnowsFeelsFirstsCoursesGayDiseaseAidsAshamedAffected Author:Elton John
“I think people in the gay and straight worlds can get a sense of what it means to be an artist.” PeopleThinkingWorldMeanArtistGayGay And Straight Author:Jill Eikenberry
“I am asexual. A-sexual. I read somewhere, maybe on Facebook, where somebody said something like, "I heard Bradford was gay, but then I heard he was bi." Then somebody wrote, "No, I heard he was asexual." And then somebody said, "That's bullshit - he totally hit on my friend after a show."” SaidShowsHeardGayMy FriendsBullshitBradford Author:Bradford Cox
“When I was writing the book, I thought "Who wants to hear another story about some actor who lost his way?" But my story is a little unique in that I realized when I was 14 years old that I was different. I think a lot of gay people use drugs and alcohol to quell that fear and shame - especially people of my age.” PeopleThinkingWayWantWritingYearsLittlesBookDifferentStoriesUseAgeActorsLostGayDrugUniqueShameAlcoholI RealizedGay PeopleDrugs And Alcohol Author:Leslie Jordan
“My mom will never march in a gay pride parade with a big sign. She is very private. She lives in Chattanooga. She tries so hard to understand me and my life. But she said to me once, "Leslie, if I live to be 105 I'll never understand this need you have to air your dirty laundry. Why can't you just whisper it to a therapist?!" She doesn't understand.” IfsNeedsTryingSaidHardBigsAirPrideMomGayMy MomDirtyMarchNeed YouTherapistsParadesLaundryUnderstand MeGay PrideLeslieDirty Laundry Author:Leslie Jordan
“People are realizing that being gay is just as defining as the color of our skin and it's not a choice. I'm really encouraged. I think in my lifetime we will achieve equality. I'm honored to be a part of it.” PeopleThinkingChoicesRealizingAchieveColorGaySkinsLifetimeHonoredDefiningBeing Gay Author:Leslie Jordan
“Since I was gay and loved disco music, it was kinda pre-programmed that my first experiences with house music and acid - which I first heard in the late 80s, mainly through Düsseldorf's ruling clubs, Relaxx and Ratinger Hof - completely mesmerized me.” FirstsHouseHeardGayLateClubs80sRulingAcidDiscoHouse MusicMesmerizedDisco Music Author:Justus Kohncke
“I've gotten a lot of young gay kids come up to me and talk to me about how the little things I've said in the press has helped them come out to their parents, or just be open with who they are, and feeling invigorated by that. So that honestly means a lot to me to hear that the things that I say in the press, they do hear, and they see, and it helps them at least to start the conversation.” MeanLittlesSaidHelpingFeelingsKidsYoungParentGayConversationPressesCome UpHonestlyLittle ThingsTalk To Me Author:Chloe Grace Moretz