So They Say

These week in So They Say: Larry Kramer loves being gay (he really does). Rapper Warren G. isn't against gay people (he really isn't). Tyson Beckford doesn't sleep with men (but would with President Obama). David Mixner says time is running out in Maine and it is time to mobilize. And Gays in the Military spokesperson Tim Smith responds to vandals.

Larry Kramer loves being gay

"I love being gay. I love gay people. How can I say this without offending everyone else -- I think we're better than other people. I think we are smarter. I think we are more talented. I think we are more aware. I think we make better friends. I think we make better lovers. I think we're more tuned in to what's happening, tuned into the moment, tuned into our emotions, and other people's emotions. Yes, I think that gay people are better than other people. I think the only thing we are not so good at is fighting back."
- Larry Kramer, LGBT/AIDS activist, to the audience at Dallas Pride on Sept. 20.

"I ain’t against gay people."

"I ain't against gay people. I'm just against it being promoted to kids...I know people that's gay. My wife's got friends that are gay. I got family that's gay. Cousins and shit. He cool as fuck. He cool as a motherfucker. He's my homie. I just mean that on some of these TV shows, they got dudes kissing. And kids are watching that shit. We can't have kids growing up with that...I know it happens, but let's keep it behind the scenes. Ain't nothin' wrong with it if that's what two dudes wanna do. Cool. But let's not bring that out into the world, where the kids can see that. We don't want all the kids doing that. 'Cause that ain't how we was originally put here to do. Like I said, I ain't got no problem with the gays."
- Warren G, rapper and hip-hop producer, in a Sept. 25 interview with Vanity Fair.

Obama’s not pretty (but I’d sleep with him)

"Well I don't actually go that way...but I noticed a lot of people think I do. You know what, if I'm [gonna] do it, I'd go for Obama. If I got with him, I could run the country. If I was that way -- Obama. Yeah, I'd be the one in control. That's if I was that way. Who you gonna go for, Will Smith? Somebody pretty like that? Not to say Obama's not pretty. I'd go straight for Obama because you got power there. Yeah. You could run red lights. You could just wild out."
- Tyson Beckford, male supermodel, Sept. 24 on Andy Cohen's Bravo program 'Watch What Happens Live,' responding to a caller who asked, "If you had to spend a night with a man, who would it be and why?"

Maine: Time is running out

"Time is running out in Maine. Soon people will begin to request their absentee ballots and start voting. The time for President Obama to make clear that he opposes the ballot measure in that state is now. If he waits any longer, the Maggie Gallagher brigade against human rights will use his opposition to marriage to prove that he supports the proposition. During his presidential campaign, then-Senator Obama was quite clear that he opposed all such measures, despite his opposition to marriage equality...If the President doesn't want his own words to be used in a hate-filled campaign then he better speak up now."
- David Mixner, in an essay published DavidMixner.com on Sept. 29.

Shocked into further action

"It felt like somebody had violated the honor and commitment that we as military veterans feel about our service ... All my brothers and sisters in uniform who are part of the gay community who aren't able to speak for themselves ... I think now the community has been shocked, but shocked into further action. The billboards will be put back up.''
- Tim Smith, a US Marine who was featured on a billboard in Memphis, Tennessee. The billboard, which displayed a photo of Smith and the words "I'm gay and I protected your freedom," was torn down by vandals on Sept. 26.