“I have lived my life very openly and have never hidden the fact that I am gay. Apparently the prerequisite to being a gay public figure is to appear on the cover of a magazine with the caption ‘I am gay.’ I apologize for not doing so if this is what was expected.”

— Jonathan Knight of the now-reunited boy band New Kids on the Block, responding to questions after ‘80s pop star Tiffany, who he once dated, discussed his sexual orientation in a recent television interview. (MSNBC.com, Jan. 31)

“He became gay later. I didn’t do it. I had issues with that. I was thinking maybe I did. Now looking back when we were dating, he was so much fun. We used to do facials together. He was so easy to talk to.”

— ‘80s pop singer Tiffany, discussing former boyfriend Jonathan Knight from boy band New Kids on the Block, on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live.” (MSNBC.com, Jan. 31)

“Sometimes with parents when their kid isn’t like who they think they should be, they think it’s a reflection on them. And ... a lot of ways that’s your opportunity to step up and open your heart and understand you can’t change the past, you can only change the present and the future.”

— Singer and LGBT rights advocate Cyndi Lauper, giving advice to gay teen — and singing hopeful — Eli Medina in the Jan. 31 episode of the MTV reality series “Made.” (On Top Magazine, Jan. 31)

“I’m Walking As Straight As I Can”

— Title of the upcoming memoir by actress Geri Jewell, known for her role on “The Facts of Life” and now HBO’s “Deadwood.” The title is a nod to her triumph as an actress with cerebral palsy, as well as coming out as a lesbian. (BroadwayWorld.com, Jan. 19)

“An enormously overwhelming percentage of people struggle with homosexual feeling because of some form of violent emotional or sexual abuse at some point in their life.”

— Abdallah Adhami, the new imam at the controversial Park51 mosque and cultural center to be located near Ground Zero in New York City. Adhami, who noted in remarks on his website that “a small, tiny percentage of people are born with a natural inclination that they cannot explain,” said gay people should fight the “propensity.” (New York Post, Jan 30)

“When a religious leader of his standing opens up his mouth and spews this kind of ignorance and hateful statements, it does put his greater judgment into question.”

— Fred Sainz, a spokesperson for the gay Human Rights Campaign, responding to the statements. (New York Post, Jan 30)

Top photo: New Kids on the Block heartthrob Jonathan Knight (publicity photo)