Politics is theater. It doesn't matter if you win. You make a statement. You say, "I'm here, pay attention to me

It's not my victory, it's yours and yours and yours. If a gay can win, it means there is hope that the system can work for all minorities if we fight. We've given them hope.

Hope is never silent.

It takes no compromising to give people their rights. It takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no survey to remove repressions.

All over the country, they're reading about me, and the story doesn't center on me being gay. It's just about a gay person who is doing his job.

It takes no compromise to give people their rights

I would like to see every gay doctor come out, every gay lawyer, every gay architect come out, stand up and let that world know. That would do more to end prejudice overnight than anybody would imagine. I urge them to do that, urge them to come out. Only that way will we start to achieve our rights.