“Once gay power was a joyous cry in this town. Then the thrust toward radicalism died. The stuffed-shirt gay politico appeared. Lethargy set in”

“For almost 20 years, Sylvester has been an icon of San Francisco nightlife: outrageous, bold, proud. Today, he is a symbol of a totally different San Fran­cisco — a gay man struggling to stay alive”

“The nation’s only openly gay city official had been shot dead, allegedly by the city’s most anti-gay official.”

"She's regarded by those who don't know better as the authority on black gay life, and was recently appointed the James Baldwin Professor of African American Effeminacy at Harvard."

"In the past few years, Daddy/boy (or girl) erotic role-playing has emerged in the lesbian community — even among women who don't normally walk on the wild side."

“I’ve gone around since the end of last year asking every lesbian I know if she wants to get married and of course it’s been a confusing proposal.“

At the very moment when our pride is at its peak, our political agenda is in jeopardy. Even as we celebrate our visibility, we need to hear the slamming of the closet door, if only to wedge it open.

“The word passion originally meant suf­fering, agony, as of a martyr. The passion of Christ and all that. No wonder being in love made me feel out of control.”

“Marsha’s position on Christopher Street is double-edged. A martyr of gay liberation, he is denied entrance to many bars. Andy Warhol silkscreens of Marsha sell for $1400 while Marsha walks the sidewalk outside, broke.”

“New York has become a gay place. The material of the new homosexual culture pervades its life, from lowbrow to high­brow, on the streets and in the shops, the theatre, the cafes, and the apartments of at least a dozen neighborhoods.”