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| Quotes & Quips |
| Compiled By Jack Nichols
Southern Baptists
One would think that leaders of a religion originally based on
ownership of slaves would think twice before preaching the intolerance of
homosexuality.
One would be wrong. Yet, it is not inconceivable that a few years from now, Southern Baptists will find themselves apologizing to gays for spreading an anti-gay agenda. If so, it would not be the first time the church would apologize to an entire group of people for directing hatred and bigotry toward them. Still, church leaders seem not to have learned that lesson. Arizona Daily Star—Editorial: "Without a clue"—June 21 
Ricky Martin Moments
Martin moments pile on like salsa. New York: a gay music industry exec throws a Ricky Martin Night" soiree where only the singer's music is heard and cocktails called La Copa de la Vidas are served with Gusto. (What no Ricky Martinis?) Chicago: The gay bar Sidetrack plays Martin's videos to cheers. Los Angeles: Spin-class teachers at the gay-popular Crunch gym get their clients pedaling to—guess who.." John Griffiths—"Ricky Martin Cross Appeal"—The Advocate, July 6 Scotland's Gay Pride I was delighted to receive this award. I suspect it will help to fuel Dr Robertson's paranoia about a conspiracy between the gay community and the free press. All it needed were a few freemasons, some communists and a couple of characters out of Star Trek, and the full complement of conspirators to undermine the American way of life would have been present. Robert McNeil— reporter for The Scotsman newspaper, receiving a "Friend for Life" award from Scotland's gay and lesbian community for his coverage of the Bank of Scotland/ Pat Robertson fiasco. Sir Elton We Love Thee!
How dare you go after Elton John! With all the
real enemies we have in this world you must really be off your rocker to
go after someone who is such a heroic and stalwart friend ... Get real.
Get a life. Haven't you got anything better to do than be so destructive?
Larry Kramer—Reacting to AIDS activist Michael Petrelis' criticism of Elton John's charity work—" No mystery: $17M for AIDS victims"—New York Post, June 22 American Baptist Excommunications A sharply divided General Board of the American Baptist Churches USA voted to expel four California churches from the denomination because of their "welcoming and affirming" stand toward homosexuals. An Ohio church narrowly escaped being thrown out of the denomination. The votes were taken in a weekend meeting that concluded Monday at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Des Moines. Stephen Buttry—"Baptists Vote to Oust 4 Churches"—Des Moines Register, June 22 
Honest Abe's Hometown Reacts to His Outing
"We consider Abe our guy," said Barry Locher, the Journal-Register's managing editor. "It's like, 'Don't be messing with Abe.' " Locher has since apologized, in print, for playing the story so big--and for juxtaposing the words "Lincoln" and "gay" in a headline. Still, he insists, the article was appropriate. Springfield, of all places, he says, should know what people are saying about Abe. Stephanie Simon—" Lincoln Country Aghast as Local Paper Prints Gay Allegation"—The Los Angeles Times, June 22 Freedom & the Death of Camp In her famous 1966 essay, "Notes on Camp," author Susan Sontag elevated the gay sensibility that is "camp" to the realm of serious discussion among cultural critics, but that pronounced sense of the absurd has for generations been a way for the gay world to safely meet the straight one. When there's no need to hide behind an armor of laughter and disarming remarks, Warren wondered aloud, will I lose part of myself? Being "openly gay" is certainly freeing, but will it be fun? Now that the secret is out, the need for camp eliminated, what makes me different from everyone else around me? Brad L. Graham—" Gay culture wins freedom, loses sense of camp"—St. Louis Post Dispatch, June 20 Intimidating Looney Laura Where once we were asked to tolerate diversity, now we are being intimidated to accept deviancy. Dr. Laura Schlesinger—quoted in the Santa Barbara News-Press, June 15, 1999 The Naughty New Yorker
I do not know what it is about The NewYorker that has made it so impossible for gay
and lesbian writers and gay and lesbian lives to inhabit your pages but it is so. We don't
live there. We don't live there as we live in the city that gives your magazine its
name. We never have. From the days of Harold Ross and William Shawn, when
to even submit a gay-themed story to an editor resulted in a response of
"You must be crazy," to the days of Bob Gottlieb, whose heart at least was
in the right place if not his follow-through (there was not one single
story or article about AIDS in The New Yorker during his entire tenure:
indeed your magazine continues to hold.
Larry Kramer— from An Open Letter to the Editor of The New Yorker No More Bushit I have news for Governor Bush. This is the 20th century, not the 18th. People don't have to pay taxes to support religion anymore. The Rev. Barry Lynn-- Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, to Florida Govenor Jeb Bush following Bush's officially approving a statewide school voucher program |
© 1997-99 BEI