Quoted - Andrew Garfield on Gay Marriage

Awww, Our Spidey in his "It Gets Better" T-shirt

“Of course I’m in favor of marriage equality. Same-sex couples should have the same rights as anybody else  - there is no argument against equality.... How can anyone argue against compassion and understanding?” 

 - Andrew Garfield aka Spiderman to The Times of London on same-sex couples right to marry.

Quoted - The President of The United States on Jason Collins Coming Out

Can you name another President or World Leader who has been outspoken and supportive of LGBT equality?  No, you can't.

What is even more striking about the quote and video below is that at the end of Tuesday's news conference, The President wasn't initially asked about Collins.  

As he was leaving the podium, he turned around, came back and said this: 

"Yeah, I’ll say something about Jason Collins. I had a chance to talk to him yesterday. He seems like a terrific young man, and, you know, I told him I couldn’t be prouder of him. You know, one of the extraordinary measures of progress that we’ve seen in this country has been the recognition that the LGBT community deserves full equality, not just partial equality, not just tolerance but a recognition that they’re fully a part of the American family.

And, you know, given the importance of sports in our society, for an individual who’s excelled at the highest levels in one of major sports go ahead and say, this is who I am, I’m proud of it, I’m still a great competitor, I’m still seven feet tall and can bang with Shaq and, you know, deliver a hard foul — and for, you know, a lot of young people out there who, you know, are — are — are, you know, gay or lesbian, who are struggling with these issues, to see a role model like that who’s unafraid, I think it’s a great thing. And I think America should be proud that this is just one more step in this ongoing recognition that we treat everybody fairly. And everybody’s part of a — part of a family, and we judge people on the basis of their character and their performance, and not their sexual orientation. And so

I’m very proud of him. All right?"

- President Barack Obama on basketball player, Jason Collins recently coming out as a gay man.

Quoted - Clint Eastwood on Marriage Equality

Quoted - Winona Ryder on Being Bullied in High School

“I was wearing an old Salvation Army shop boy’s suit. As I went to the bathroom I heard people saying, ‘Hey, faggot.’ They slammed my head into a locker. I fell to the ground and they started to kick the shit out of me. I had to have stitches. The school kicked me out – not the bullies. Years later, I went to a coffee shop and I ran into one of the girls who’d kicked me, and she said, ‘Winona, Winona, can I have your autograph?’ And I said, ‘Do you remember me? Remember in seventh grade you beat up that kid?’ And she said, ‘Kind of.’ And I said, ‘That was me. Go fuck yourself.’”
  
                        – Winona Ryder on being bullied in High School.

Quoted - My Partner Ryan on His Trip to the Post Office Yesterday

"This was outside the post office along with another guy asking if I wanted to know more about being a revolutionary. God Bless Texas and all it's crazies. Suffice it to say he didn't ask the black guy that was walking in front of me." 

- My Partner, Ryan 

on his trip to the Post Office yesterday, April 9, 2013

Quoted - Pastor Jay Bakker on Churches Refusal to Support Gays and Welcome Them Into Their Flock Is a Sin

“This is sin on a level that most churches ignore. This is sin; meaning, that which destroys. That which is destructive, which causes hurt in other people and perhaps even in your own life. When people lose their jobs, aren’t promoted, are discriminated against, are treated differently, are described as `gay’ as an insult, get kicked out of churches, and are disowned by their families, that is sin.” 

– Pastor Jay Bakker, from his book,  
Faith and Doubt and Other Lines I’ve Crossed: Walking with the Unknown God,
available at Amazon.com

Quoted - Republican Senator Mark Kirk on Having an Open Mind and Greater Respect For Others

“When I climbed the Capitol steps in January, I promised myself that I would return to the Senate with an open mind and greater respect for others. Same-sex couples should have the right to civil marriage. Our time on this earth is limited, I know that better than most. Life comes down to who you love and who loves you back — government has no place in the middle.”

– Republican Senator Mark Kirk, whose stroke in 2012 allowed him to see things in a different perspective.  The senator endorsed gay marriage on Tuesday, April 2nd. (BuzzFeed)

Quoted - Susan Olsen, "Cindy" from The Brady Bunch on her TV Dad & Gays

“As a child, I was BLESSED to have another father figure in my life. He did not replace my own beloved, Norwegian version of Jed Clampett, nor would he have wanted to. He simply harmonized with all of my family values and brought his own heart to our table.

This wonderful man was a giant in my world, a true king among men. His name was, and is, Robert Reed (OK that’s his stage name).

This tempetuous actor who bottle fed puppies when he wasn’t quarreling with the heads of networks, shaped my heart as much as my biological parents did. So I really can honestly say, “My dad was Gay”

I can also say that being gay killed him. Because it was so taboo, he could never make peace with himself. He never allowed himself to have a genuine love. He was forever taunted by his own disdain for the natural inclinations that he was BORN WITH.

Bob was a family man. Had he been allowed to form a relationship with another man, he would have been the best husband ever and might still be alive. But Bob could not be at peace with this because the people surrounding him shoved their own judgement down his throat and, sadly, he bought into it. He thought he was wrong. He felt the shame that every hypocritical “God is love” fundamentalist wanted him to feel.

To me, the vilification of homosexuality is exactly like the primitive practice of people who killed babies who were born with cleft palates or birth marks. It is a worship not of God but of fear itself in the form of a God who hates.

I am eternally grateful for having a golden rule placed before me as a child. I had a gay father! I knew he was gay when I was nine years old and had the wisdom of a child. I knew it was OK and none of my business.. I knew with all certainty that this was a very good man. And so, any ideology that demonized such a good man would have to be evil itself.

Robert Reed, unwittingly, showed me the true nature of religion. And this is why I steer clear of it to this day.

God and I are good pals. We have a clear line of communication and I don’t need religion’s telephone service. It’s full of static.

I could never worship, let alone LOVE, a God who would put my beloved father into the fires of Hell because he loved men. THAT is a God who deserves disdain. THAT is a God who must be ignored. THAT is a concept of God that must go away just as surely s humans have shed their prehensile tails.

You might call it evolution. IF you believe in evolving.

I do not necessarily believe in evolution, religion, politics or even gravity. I think the flying spaghetti monster might be the real deal! All I truly know is what works right here, right now.

What works is love.

What doesn’t work is judgement.

If two people love each other enough to want their union consecrated by a mythological being – they are undoubtedly insane, but LET THEM HAVE AT IT!!” 
                   - Actress, Susan Olsen, "Cindy" from The Brady Bunch on her
                     TV dad, gays & their fight for equality.

Quoted - Dan Savage on What The Bible Got Wrong

"The shortest book in the New Testament is a letter from Paul to a Christian slave owner about owning his Christian slave.

And Paul doesn’t say, "Christians don’t own people." Paul talks about how Christians own people.

We ignore what the Bible said about slavery because the Bible  got slavery wrong.

If the Bible got the easiest moral question that humanity has ever faced wrong, what are the odds that the Bible got something as complicated as human sexuality wrong?"   
                   - Dan Savage to a National High School Journalism                                                       Conference in 2012

Quoted - Paul Schmidtberger on Design Flaws of the Human Condition

“And then one student said that happiness is what happens when you go to bed on the hottest night of the summer, a night so hot you can't even wear a tee-shirt and you sleep on top of the sheets instead of under them, although try to sleep is probably more accurate. And then at some point late, late, late at night, say just a bit before dawn, the heat finally breaks and the night turns into cool and when you briefly wake up, you notice that you're almost chilly, and in your groggy, half-consciousness, you reach over and pull the sheet around you and just that flimsy sheet makes it warm enough and you drift back off into a deep sleep. And it's that reaching, that gesture, that reflex we have to pull what's warm - whether it's something or someone - toward us, that feeling we get when we do that, that feeling of being sad in the world and ready for sleep, that's happiness.” 

                   - Paul Schmidtberger from his book, Design Flaws of the Human Condition

Quoted: Days of Future Past by Ryan Joseph Lopez

"You just can't debate with crazy, or practically anyone anymore. The world is changing for the better, but some people just can't accept that. All they have left to hold on to are their beliefs. When those once common ideas are now considered outdated, irrational and even hateful, and can be justly proven so, people get angry and desperate and will fight to the very end to protect an ideology that they hold sacred. It's an unfortunate sign of the most conservative parts of the Republican party. Never give up, never surrender, never admit you're wrong, just keep screaming nonsense until you drown out your opponent and every last one of his facts. Well I have a few facts to share myself: Gay people can get married without the sky falling or your family being affected in anyway, shape or form aside from the possibility of them not sharing your homophobic hate. Black people can be in charge of a country that once considered them property. Being a Liberal is not the same thing as being weak. Trust me. We fight against income inequality in the Occupy Movement. We fight for the right to unionize in Wisconsin, Indiana, Arizona and any other states controlled by a Republican majority that wishes for it to be a "right to work" state. We fight for the health of our women when conservative wolves in pink sheep's clothing attempt to break down Planned Parenthood. And we fight for our right to marry the person we love to not only receive the same benefits that everyone else gets, but to also simply show that we are no different from any straight couple and hence should not be treated differently as such. California is another footstep in the marathon that is the fight for marriage equality and gay rights everywhere. We will continue fighting. We are not weak. We are stronger than ever and we will fight for Obama this year and we will win. We must. This country needs to show the world that we stand for common sense, compassion and an ability to inspire hope in others by getting back up after being knocked down hard. Screaming at the top of your lungs until you can't hear the facts just won't do for this country of ours, and neither will defeat, hatred, or the desire to divide. We can come together to make sure our country continues to succeed and head in its' current, correct direction. We can vote for Obama 2012, because hope is nothing without people to believe in it and change is impossible without people to fight for it."  

- Ryan Joseph Lopez on Blade7184's post 

"Quoted: Miley Cyrus on Her Marriage Equality Tattoo"

Hillary Clinton: The Most Powerful Woman in American Politics

"...she has been one of the most remarkable Americans of our time. In the 20 years she’s been on the stage, the country has gone from wondering whether women could handle the toughest jobs to knowing they can. That is a huge cultural change—barriers that were a given for most people a generation ago are just completely socially unacceptable now, and thousands more women know they can aim for the top. No one is more responsible for that change than Hillary Clinton." 

     - Michael Tomasky, Special correspondent for Newsweek/The Daily Beast and editor of Democracy: A Journal of Ideas.

I pulled this quote from an article I read this morning, and it is absolutely wonderful.  Read it here - The Daily Beast

Quoted - "We Need To Talk About Kevin" Star Comes Out

“I’m queer. I have a lot of really wonderful friends who are of very different sexes and genders. I am very much in love with no one in particular. I’ve been trying to figure out relationships, you know? I don’t know if it’s responsible for kids of my age to be so aggressively pursuing monogamous binds, because I don’t think we’re ready for them. The romanticism within our culture dictates that that’s what you’re supposed to be looking for. Then [when] we find what we think is love — even if it is love — we do not yet have the tools. I do feel that it’s possible to be at this age unintentionally hurtful, just by being irresponsible — which is fine. I’m super down with being irresponsible. I’m just trying to make sure my lack of responsibility no longer hurts people. That’s where I’m at in the boyfriend/girlfriend/zefriend type of question.” – Ezra Miller (Kevin in We Need to Talk About Kevin) comes out in the latest issue of Out magazine.

Quoted - Homeless Man Talking About the Day He Was Viciously Attacked

“He attacked me. He just ripped me to ribbons. He chewed up my face. He plucked out my eyes. Basically that’s all there is to say about it. For a very short amount of time I thought he was a good guy. But he just went and turned berserk. He apparently didn’t have a good day at the Beach and he – he was coming back. And I guess he took it out, took it out on me or something.” –  Cannibal victim Ronald Poppo, in an interview with CBS Miami

I thought this was absolutely crazy when it happened, and I feel so bad for Mr. Poppo.  I truly hope you can find peace.  Our prayers are with you!

Quoted: One Direction's Louis Tomlinson on Gay Rumors

“This is a subject that was funny at first but now is actually hard to deal with as I am in a relationship.... Me and Harry are best friends, people look into our every move...  it is actually affecting the way me and Harry are in public. We want to joke around but there seems to be a different rumor every time we do anything.” - Louis Tomlinson in an interview with MTV

Seriously though, if you don't want the rumors floating around, stop kissing and loving all over each other in public. Geez. LOL. Remember these photos?

Quoted - Carrie Underwood on Marriage Equality

Her fan base may be made up of people who share Christian and Conservative beliefs, but she sure as hell don't share their same values. We love you Carrie!!!

"As a married person myself, I don't know what it's like to be told I can't marry somebody I love, and want to marry. I can't imagine how that must feel. I definitely think we should all have the right to love, and love publicly, the people that we want to love...  Our church is gay friendly. Above all, God wanted us to love others. It's not about setting rules, or [saying] 'everyone has to be like me.' No. We're all different. That's what makes us special. We have to love each other and get on with each other. It's not up to me to judge anybody,”

- Carrie Underwood to The Independent on marriage equality

In addition to supporting gay marriage, Underwood went on to condemn people who use the Bible for hate, saying, "That's not how I would want myself as a Christian to be represented."

Quoted - Will Smith on Hate

Quoted: Channing Tatum on Who Will See His Movie - Women and Gays

“People say that women and the gay community will go see [Magic Mike] – knock on wood – but I know straight guys won’t be like, ‘Yo, what’s up man – you wanna go see the stripping movie after the game tonight?’ I doubt they’ll have the balls to see it. What’s funny is that the girls don’t ask me questions about my stripping days, but straight guys want to know everything. It’s that fantasy element. It’s probably why a lot of females on Halloween are the whorey version of a ketchup bottle, or slutty nurse, which I love and respect – it’s liberating.” 

 - Channing Tatum, Out magazine’s June-July cover boy, on who’ll be the probable audience for his stripper movie. (courtesy of Just Jared)

Quoted - Republican Colin Powell on Endorsing Gay Marriage

“I have no problem with it, and it was the Congress that imposed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, though it was certainly my position and my recommen-dation to get us out of an even worse outcome that could have occurred, as you’ll recall. But as I’ve thought about gay marriage, I know a lot of friends who are individually gay but are in partnerships with loved ones, and they are as stable a family as my family is, and they raise children. And so I don’t see any reason not to say that they should be able to get married.” – former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsing gay marriage during an interview today with Wolf Blitzer on The Situation Room. (via The Daily What)

Quoted - Martin Luther King, Jr. on Loving Your Enemies

“Now there is a final reason I think that Jesus says, "Love your enemies." It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. Just keep being friendly to that person. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they’ll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies.” 

~ Martin Luther King Jr. from his speech, A Knock at Midnight