"How could I have been anyone other than me?" -- gay South African rock star, guitarist and vocalist Dave Matthews

"And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." -- American author of Spanish, Cuban, French and Danish descent Anais Nin

"Don't you ever wish You were someone else You were meant to be The way you are exactly
Don't you ever say You don't like the way you are When you learn to love yourself You're better off by far
And I hope you always stay the same Cause there's nothing 'bout you I would change" -- Joey McIntyre, "Stay the Same" from the 1999 CD of the same name

"How could anyone ever tell you, you were anything less than beautiful How could anyone ever tell you, you were less than whole How could anyone fail to notice that your loving is a miracle How deeply you're connected to my soul." -- Libby Roderick, "How Could Anyone (ever tell you, you were anything less than beautiful?)" from the CD If You See a Dream

"...but here am I; Once a caterpillar, now a butterfly." -- Pet Shop Boys, "Metamorphosis"

“I don't think that [the issue of] sexuality and disability is controversial because of genitals. I don't even think it's controversial so much because of pregnancy. The major reason it's controversial is that it would force a massive reevaluation of who disabled people are.”
-- Dave Hingsburger

"I have said to you to speak the truth is a painful thing. To be forced to tell lies is much worse. " -- Oscar Wilde, De Profundis

"From an early age, we're taught not only bigotry but also to feel helpless and hopeless when confronted with it, as if it is a force of nature--like gravity--that we cannot control. This is the lesson we must unlearn. We must break free of the mindset that tells us we have to accept injustice, intolerance, and bigotry..."
-- Kevin Jennings, from "Learning to Swim Upstream"

"The most exciting thing is not doing it. If you fall in love with someone and never do it, it's much more exciting." -- Andy Warhol

"Can I tell you guys something?" Joe says. "Will you promise not to laugh at me or say it's gross?" "Promise," I say, and Skeezie goes, "Pinky swear," and smiles. "You know what I want more than anything?" I am guessing by the way he takes a deep breath that the answer to this is not to be found in any of Joe's usual wish-list categories, such as home decor or celebrities-I'd-most-like-to-be-stuck-on-a-desert-island-with.
"I think about this a lot, but I've never told anybody. Not Aunt Pam or anybody. What I want more than anything is to hold hands with somebody I like.
Joe pulls his knees up then, sharp, and crosses his arms over them, so he can lay down his head, like now that he's told us this terrible secret he doesn't want to see our faces telling him what we think.
"Does that gross you out?" he asks from inside his folded-up arms. "No," I go, and so does Skeeze. "If that's how you feel, then you should just go for it, man," says Skeezie, getting all serious. "I mean, you're a pretty outrageous character, JoDan. I never seen you exactly lacking for nerve."
Joe lifts his head. "Right. Can you see me walking down the hall holding hands with Colin the way Brittney holds hands with Will, or Sara with Justin? Not that I'm saying Colin would want to or anything, but it's not fair."
-- James Howe, The Misfits, pp. 121-2

"Friendship with oneself is all-important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world." -- Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady and American political leader (who was what we would describe today as bisexual)

"I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture of their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, men other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land."
-- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., American clergyman, civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner

"I feel honored that I have the opportunity to be a role model for younger people. I want to educate the kids that it's not OK to hate individuals because they're different. It could be their brother, their sister. It also could be their best friend."
-- Esera Tuaolo, retired NFL football player and openly gay partner and dad

"I didn't come out -- I was out. The media was, 'Oh my God, you're gay,' and I'm like yes -- I've been out my whole life to my family and friends. Everyone in the skating community knew. But just because I won the national title, it's like, 'Oh, my God, you're gay.' The judges would say, 'You have to tone down your costumes, your choreography,' and I'm like, 'No . . .' I wanted to skate for the audiences, not for the judges."
-- Rudy Galindo, Olympic figure skater

"see, i was afraid of redicule. it totally freaked me out. i remember a few times being made fun of by guy friends in elementary. they said sometimes i would act like a girl, or run like a girl. so i fought hard. everyday to make sure i showed no sign of my femme side."
-- Ashley, trans youth who tells her story at comingoutstories.com

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." -- Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady and American political leader

"If a boy and a girl are able to go to a dance, then two boys ought to be able to go to a dance." -- Virginia Uribe, now-retired founder of Project 10, the first school-based dropout prevention program for students facing sexual orientation discrimination and harassment
"What is most beautiful in virile men is something feminine; what is most beautiful in feminine women is something masculine."
-- Susan Sontag

"Why shouldn't I take a chance when romance passes by? Why shouldn't I know of love?" -- Cole Porter (lyrics from the song Why Shouldn't I?")