Gay Today: Quote

Quotes & Quips

Compiled By Jack Nichols

George W. Bush: The Horseless Cowboy

The two men are so chummy now that when Mr. Bush called Mr. Putin to invite him to the ranch, Mr. Putin said he was looking forward to riding horses with the American president. Mr. Bush had to explain that he doesn't ride. He preferred to saddle up his jeep around the ranch.

Maureen Dowd-"Go Fly a Kite, Taliban"-New York Times, November 14

Does That Cute Passenger Have a Bomb in His Ass?

The Federal Aviation Authority's next generation of holographic body imaging scanners can be trumped too. Welcome to the world of the "terror mule."…Criminal groups running drugs and diamonds into the United States have for years smuggled contraband by stuffing it into condoms and having a "mule" swallow the load, or by having it implanted surgically or rectally.

Erik Baard-"Terror 'Mules': Bombs in Bodies"-Wired, November 13

Boycott Egyptian Tours

Egypt will not be used for the defamation of manhood and will not be a hub for gay communities.

Ashraf Hilal-Prosecutor who sought the jailing of 52 Egyptian males accused of same-sex love-making.

Hanky Codes in England

That business about coloured handkerchiefs in pockets never caught on - and anyway we couldn't remember what the colours were supposed to mean.

Matthew Parris-" Straight talk about the new gay world"-- London Times, November 17

Just Say No to the Salvation Army

Basically it's the (Salvation Army's) message that gay families are not worthy of this benefit for whatever reason. We firmly believe that by taking this action the Salvation Army has established itself as an anti-gay organization.

David Smith-- Communications Director and Senior Strategist for the Human Rights Campaign

Legally: The USA's Best & Worst States

The top five states for gays in the Voice's legal analysis were Vermont, D.C., Connecticut, New Jersey and Rhode Island. On the other end of the spectrum were Kansas, Alabama, Virginia, Mississippi and Oklahoma. When it comes to the best state for gay men or lesbians to live, it might not come as a surprise - Vermont…The worst? Oklahoma.

Lisa Keen-" Who's the best, legally speaking?"-Southern Voice, November 9

Pompeii: Lesbian Love, Unisex and Group Sex

Both sexes were able to use the baths at the same time, experts at the site said… The scenes, each of which originally related to a clothing locker, depict among other things group sex and oral sex. One scene shows a lesbian encounter which an official at Pompeii, Raffaella Leveque, said was the "only example of Sapphic art in the ancient Roman world".

Bruce Johnston-"Erotic Roman frescoes unveiled at Pompeii baths complex"- The Telegraph, London, November 15

People Over Profits

The pharmaceutical industry is scrambling to limit the damage that might result from a deal hammered out by World Trade Organization negotiators this week that declares that poor countries can ignore drug-company patents and buy cheap generic drugs to meet public-health needs.

Geoff Wiestock & Helene Cooper-"Deal Will Allow Poor Nations to Ignore Patents to Meet Public-Health Needs"-- Wall Street Journal, November 14

Jim Carey's Toilet-Plunger Humor

One example familiar to most of the children was a scene in the film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. The hero, played by Jim Carey, had just realized that he had kissed another man. The "humor" that followed showed him using every means to purge himself of the resulting pollution, even using a plunger on his mouth to induce vomiting.

Robert N. Minor, Ph.D.-Scared Straight: Why Its So Hard to Accept Gay People And Why Its So Hard to Be Human can be ordered through www.fairnessproject.org

Silver Linings

They say every cloud has a silver lining. The dust cloud that rose when the towers fell has certainly helped politicians who don't want you to see what they're up to.

Paul Krugman-"Other People's Money"-New York Times, November 14