OUTSPOKEN

FRIENDS & FOES IN THEIR OWN WORDS

“This year, we celebrate LGBT Pride Month at a moment of great hope and progress, recognizing that more needs to be done. Support for LGBT equality is growing, led by a generation which understands that, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., ‘injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’” — President Barack Obama, officially proclaiming June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month (White House, May 31) “I’ve been on this huge journey to figure out my life, and now I am back here I think where I am supposed to be.” — Professional soccer player Robbie Rogers in a May 26 postgame press conference after his debut with the LA Galaxy made him the first openly gay athlete to compete in U.S. men’s professional team sports. Rogers, a former national team player, came out in April and announced his retirement. (YouTube, May 27) “The LGBT community has written a proud chapter in this fundamentally American story by reminding us that integrity and respect remain cornerstones of our military and civilian culture.” — Department of Defense LGBT Pride Month memorandum (SLDN.org, May 31) “This whole thing has been a bit surreal for us because we have been raised to believe that love is love. We never realized that our happiness and openness would inspire so many individuals.” — Brad Taylor and Dylan Meehan in a statement released after the seniors were voted “Cutest Couple” at New York’s Carmel High. The story went viral after a classmate posted it to Tumblr. (Huffington Post, June 1)