''I have been, um, supportive of a lot of my friends who are gay in some of the core things that they believe are important to them. You know, the ability to be able to share in the information of your partner, to have the ability to--particularly in times of crisis--to manage their affairs.... I just draw the line at the gay marriage. And that's not antigay, no. Heck no! It's just that, you know, from my faith tradition and upbringing, I believe that marriage--that institution, the sanctity of it--is reserved for a man and a woman.... I think that there's a whole lot that goes into the makeup of an individual that, uh, you just can't simply say, oh, like, "Tomorrow morning I'm gonna stop being gay." It's like saying, "Tomorrow morning I'm gonna stop being black.''
Republican National Comittee head Michael Steele in an interview when asked what his opinions of gay marriage are, and also whether he thought homosexuality is a choice. Steele, who is a native of Washington, DC and served as Lieutenant Governor of Maryland has repeatedly turned his nose up at the rights of gay men and lesbians to enter into either marriage or civil unions. Yet, some still consider him a moderate in his views of gays in general, and some on the far religious right are finding his statements that homosexuality is not a choice, just one more reason for him to resign. As the first African-American man to serve in the position, his self-labeled "hip-hop plan" of inclusion and empowerment is causing an uproar with a lot of the Republicans whom he has been given responsibility to represent. (GQ)
