“The problem is that the president has strongly supported a constitutional amendment which would in fact take the power to define marriage away from the state legislatures. I had assumed that you were aware of this amendment, because it has been so important a part of the Republican political approach.”
Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who is gay, in a letter to Ken Mehlman responding to his statement on “Meet the Press” (June 27)

“One of the great things about this parade is that last year we had death threats and manure in the streets, and this year, we were able to congregate peacefully, without incident.”
Rusty Wyrick of North Little Rock, who hoisted a ‘Proud to be a gay American’ sign as he participated in the Conway, Ark., Gay Pride parade (Associated Press, June 27)

“Homosexuality is a pathology. … A violent, hostile, distant or alcoholic father or a cold, over-protective mother are what causes homosexuality, which can lead those so afflicted to depression and to seek solace in drugs”
Aquilino Polaino, professor of psychiatry at Madrid’s Catholic University, testifying before Spain’s Senate on a bill to legalize gay marriage (U.K. Independent, June 21)

“[President Bush] also believes, separate apart from that question, that the fundamental question of marriage ought to be defined in the way it’s been defined for more than 200 years of our nation’s history, which is by the people’s representatives at the state legislatures.”
Republican Party Chair Ken Mehlman (left), who has refused to answer questions about his own sexual orientation (NBC’s “Meet the Press,” June 5)

“It was devastating to discover that a relationship I had publicized to the world as life-affirming and built on mutual love was actually based on deceit. I was humiliated.”
A court filing by Terry McMillan, 53, author of the 1996 novel-made-into-a-movie “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” which told how a 40-something woman fell in love with a man half her age; McMillan is seeking to have annulled her six-year marriage to 30-year-old Jamaican Jonathan Plummer, whom she met at a Jamaican resort a decade ago, after recently learning he is gay (Associated Press, June 29)

“We provide drugs through Medicare and Medicaid that are lifesaving drugs; we don’t pay for lifestyle drugs. [It’s wrong to tell taxpayers that] we’re going to take the money you earned on overtime to pay for Grandpa’s Viagra.”
Congressman Steve King, (R-Iowa), on his proposal to stop Medicare and Medicaid payments for Viagra, Levitra and Cialis, which treat erectile dysfunction; the measure passed the House 285-121 (New York Times, June 25)

“He’s got advertisers who are fearful of offending anyone because they’re going after mass groups of people. At the same time, he’s got to create a service that is compelling to the gay and lesbian audience who wants to watch it. It kind of depends on their appetite for gay lite.”
Paul Colichman, founder of Here!, on the challenge facing gay Logo programming director Brian Graden; Here! is a competing cable network (Associated Press, June 24)

“Well they’re clearly not, they’re a small minority of people.”
National Party leader Don Brash, when asked if gays are part of mainstream New Zealand; his party has been running its campaign on a slogan of ‘mainstream New Zealand’ (Gay NZ, New Zealand, June 28)

“I think he’s done an incredible job, his administration, on AIDS. And 250,000 Africans are on antiviral drugs. They literally owe their lives to America.”
Bono of the rock group U2, complimenting the record on AIDS funding of President Bush’s administration, which has been sharply criticized by AIDS groups for promising funds for Africa that have not been delivered (NBC’s “Meet the Press,” June 25)