‘Oh, I don’t—I don’t know, but I’m not one to judge and, you know, I’m from a family and from a community with many, many members of many diverse backgrounds and I’m not going to judge someone on whether they believe that homosexuality is a choice or genetic. I’m not going to judge them.’ — Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin to ABC News, Sept. 12. Interviewer Charles Gibson asked, ‘Homosexuality: genetic or learned?’
‘I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Now, for me, as a Christian … it’s also a sacred union. God’s in the mix. … I would not (support a constitutional amendment with that definition) because historically … we have not defined marriage in our Constitution. It’s been a matter of state law that has been our tradition. Let’s break it down. The reason that people think there needs to be a constitutional amendment, some people believe, is because of the concern that about same-sex marriage. I am not somebody who promotes same-sex marriage but I do believe in civil unions. I do believe that we should not—that for gay partners to want to visit each other in the hospital, for the state to say: ‘You know what? That’s all right’ I don’t think in any way inhibits my core beliefs about what marriage are (sic). I think my faith is strong enough and my marriage is strong enough that I can afford those civil rights to others even if I have a different perspective or a different view.’ — Barack Obama, speaking at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., Aug. 16.
‘If elected, I would call on Congress to enact legislation that would repeal DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act) and ensure that the over 1,100 federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally recognized unions.’ — Barack Obama to the Washington Blade, Sept. 10.
‘This may surprise people, but I find Barney Frank to be very accessible and Tammy Baldwin not.’ — Veteran gay press journalist Lisa Keen, former editor of the Washington Blade, as quoted in the September issue of the gay press newsletter Press Pass Q. Frank, D-Mass., and Baldwin, D-Wis., are Congress’ two openly gay members. The comment was made at the recent convention of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.
‘I have to agree. (While) very bright, articulate and knowledgeable, for whatever reason she (Baldwin) does not seem to like press interviews.’ — Veteran Washington Blade reporter Lou Chibbaro Jr. responding to Keen.
‘I think there’s a really good chance that Sarah Palin could be president, and I think that’s a really scary thing. … I think the pick was made for political purposes, but in terms of governance, it’s a disaster. You do the actuary tables, you know, there’s a one out of three chance, if not more, that McCain doesn’t survive his first term and it’ll be President Palin. … It’s like a really bad Disney movie. The hockey mom, you know, ‘Oh, I’m just a hockey mom from Alaska’ … and it’s like she’s facing down Vladimir Putin and using the folksy stuff she learned at the hockey rink. It’s absurd. It’s totally absurd and I don’t understand why more people aren’t talking about how absurd it is. It’s a really terrifying possibility. The fact that we’ve gotten this far, and we’re that close to this being a reality is crazy. Crazy. I need to know if she really thinks dinosaurs were here 4,000 years ago. That’s an important—I want to know that, I really do. Because she’s going to have the nuclear codes. I want to know if she thinks dinosaurs were here 4,000 years ago, or if she banned books, or tried to ban books. I mean, you know, we can’t have that.’ — Actor Matt Damon on Sarah Palin to the Associated Press, Sept. 10.
—Assistance: Bill Kelley