"Yesterday, if you haven't heard, the California Supreme Court overturned the ban on gay marriage. So, I would like to say right now, for the first time, I am announcing, I am getting married.... I'll tell you who the lucky guy is soon.... I'm so excited. If I'm this emotional now just saying it, I can't imagine how that's gonna be. But it's something that, of course we wanted to do, and we want it to be legal, and we're just very, very excited."

Comedian and TV show host Ellen Degeneres announcing she plans to get legally hitched to her girlfriend, actress Portia De Rossi, who was in the audience of her daytime talk show for the special moment. (E Online)

"Jodie breaking up with Cydney is shocking. She and Cydney have been together for so many years and have two children together, the potential fallout and legal wrangling from this split could be monumental."

An anonymous source commenting to the National Equirer tabloid on an alleged split between actress Jodie Foster and her girlfriend of 14 years, Cydney Bernard, who she only recently acknowledged having a close, long-term relationship. (Daily Mail)

"I'm just happy that the court ruled the way he did. And I get to show my support for gays and lesbians.... [Tomorrow] I'm gonna wear a shirt that shows my support for gays and lesbians."

Heather Gillman, 17, of Ponce De Leon High School in Holmes County, FL, after winning her ACLU-backed case. A federal judge ruled against the school administration's apparent attempt to block several students from wearing supportive gay pride symbols on the basis that they created an uncontrollable disruption. (WMBB) [Video]

"I think we have bigger fish to fry than do people have a right, if they are gay, to get married or not.... I think that we should think about fixing the budget system and think about fixing the health care system and rebuilding California."

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger stating that he opposes the upcoming November ballot initiative to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage. (Sacramento Bee)

I think that it was very clear that the people voted through Proposition 22 to be against [gay marriage], and I never wanted to turn over the will of the people. I always said it's -- them, they can turn it over, or the Supreme Court can turn it over. That's exactly what happened today. So, we, kind of, respect their opinion. And, we will, you know, act accordingly.

Gov. Schwarzenegger repeating similar comments to KCRA TV (YouTube)

"RuPaul's history-making turn as a groundbreaking glamour sensation opened the door for a new generation of drag superstars.... We hope to find the next one."

Brian Graden, president of MTV Networks Music Group Entertainment and Logo announcing "RuPaul's Drag Race," a 6-episode reality show to find America's next superstar drag queen. (TVSquad.com)

Prospective contestants may sign up at http://rupaulsdragrace.logoonline.com/

"Under these circumstances, we cannot find that retention of the traditional definition of marriage constitutes a compelling state interest.... Accordingly, we conclude that to the extent the current California statutory provisions limit marriage to opposite-sex couples, these statutes are unconstitutional.... [The state's constitution] guarantees same-sex couples the same substantive constitutional rights as opposite-sex couples to choose one's life partner and enter with that person into a committed, officially recognized, and protected family relationship. "

Exerpts from the The Supreme Court of California's 4-3 decision to support the rights of same-sex couples to be legally married (Reuters)

"He was just clicking on random files, all of a sudden this big image of literally gay porn shows up.... And he's going crazy, looking. Just that by that reaction that shows that he didn't expect it. It was disturbing, shocking. The class was in a shambles afterwards. He couldn't get anyone into order. He couldn't get anyone to work."

California Armijo High School freshman Chris Matthews relaying his art teacher's apparent computer mishap which displayed a gay pornographic image during a lesson on Photoshop. (Miami Herald)

"It was a very cordial, very nice meeting.... But ultimately through our conversations, we continued to disagree with Soulforce and Jay's position.... [We] believe homosexuality is sin.... it is disobedience under God."

Donald Iloff, spokesperson for Lakewood Church, after meeting between Joel Osteen, his wife, and pro-gay Soulforce's Jay Bakker, Tammy Faye Bakker-Messner's son (Christianity Today)

"There's political support for this educational strategy. It's the best thing that's happened to us.... [Raul Castro] is helping us a lot ... not only because I'm his daughter, but because I've earned his respect by working at my job carefully.... We don't know how the public will react. We suppose it'll go well because of the way we've organized it. It'll help people understand things, reflect and think."

Psychologist Mariela Castro, head of Cuba's National Center for Sexual Education and the Cuban Women's Federation, on her organizations week-long anti-homophobia festival. (Caribbean Net News)

"It's an honor to serve a sentence for something that may help improve our community, that may help us take further steps on the road to justice."

Kate Burns, at City and County Building in Denver, after being sentenced to a fine and community service for a sit-down protest that she and her partner, Sheila Schroeder, staged last September after being denied a marriage license application at the Clerk and Recorders office last September. (ABC 7 News Denver [video])

"This police officer, upon seeing my boyfriend and I kiss, walked up to me, grabbed my arm and told me that I was going to be arrested. My boyfriend, his sister and his brother-in-law pleaded with the officer to let me go since we were on our way home, but the officer refused."

Aaron Chandler, NYAC Board President, on his improper detainment by an off-duty Cayman Island police officer. (Caribbean Net News)

"What happened to you was an isolated incident, and is not representative of Cayman. We know that thousands of gay and lesbian visitors travel to the Cayman Islands every year and enjoy their vacation.... I am truly sorry to learn of what you went through during your visit."

Pilar Bush, Director of Tourism, responding to the incident (Caribbean Net News)

"I fought so hard for Danny and David. And I stood my ground. I said, This kid is needed - especially Danny- because he is very open about being gay. He tried out the year before, and I fought..."

Paula Abdul discussing push for David Hernandez and Danny Noriega. She also discusses working with pre-out singer George Michael and the importance of her "extended family" of "wonderful gay people." (NewNowNext)

"Everyone knows. It is not a secret in that sense. It is just that people do not talk about what goes on in private and who is sleeping with who. Now I hope a mainstream artist will have the courage to soon come out"

Former MTV executive, Terrence Dean, on his new book that tells of closeted homosexual subculture that contrasts rap industry's anti-gay lyrics (music.guardian.co.uk)

"Representing a sexual minority, I will make sure the new constitution protects sexual groups, people with disabilities, small indigenous casts and others."

-- Sunil Babu Pant, who became the first gay elected official in Nepal when he won election as a member of the Communist Party of Nepal. (Times of India)

"To use this word and to get it imposed internationally constitutes a rape of our historic identity and our human rights."

--Charges from a legal challenge brought by three residents of the Greek island of Lesbos, seeking to bar a gay-rights organization from using the word "lesbian" in it's name. (Scottsman.com)

"Plaintiff will testify at trial that he needed to have a disrobed male present in the room with them when the parties had sexual relations in order to maintain an erection. ... This tends to prove that plaintiff was at least bisexual, a fact which should have been obvious to defendant prior to the marriage."

-- Stephen Haller, lawyer for former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, in court papers filed as part of his ongoing and acrimonious divorce from Dina Matos McGreevey. Matos has claimed she didn't know her husband was gay -- a former driver for the couple has claimed to have engaged in three-ways with the McGreeveys. (Associated Press)

"There's an emerging rhetoric around monogamy among young gay couples. In that way, they're a lot more like married heterosexual couples than they are like older gay couples."

-- Frederick Hertz, an attorney and author on gay legal issues, on the rise of Massachusetts gay men in their 20s getting married and making monogamy a central component of their relationships.

"I mean, we wouldn't be getting married if we didn't plan on being monogamous. To me, that's a fundamental and important part of marriage."

-- Marc Brent, 24, on his planned marriage to Vassili Shields, 23.

(both from New York Times Magazine)

"I really feel that my personal privacy was invaded. I mean, Principal Beasley called my mother and outed me to my mother!"

-- Memphis high school student Nicholas (last name withheld), explaining the repercussions of his school principal, Daphne Beasley, releasing a list of "dating" couples in the school, which included him and his boyfriend. In addition to harassment from students, the boys were barred from participating in a school trip to New Orleans to rebuild houses because, a teacher said, they would "embarrass" the school. Beasley has not commented publicly. (ABC 24 Memphis)