“Why shouldn’t gay people be allowed to be able to marry? Those against gay marriages say marriage should only be between a man and a woman. God, I of all people know that doesn’t always work!”

— Actress Elizabeth Taylor in a speech accepting the 2000 Vanguard Award from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Taylor, who was married eight times, was an early HIV advocate. She died March 23 at age 79. (E! Online, March 25)

“How completely thou have taken possession of my body. This is slavery with a vengeance.”

— Mahatma Gandhi in a letter to Jewish architect Hermann Kallenbach, in which he also pledged “not to look lustfully upon any woman” and “such love as... the world has not yet seen.” The letter from Gandhi to his apparent male lover is quoted in “Great Soul,” a new biography of the Indian leader. (Jerusalem Post, March 28)

“It’s all well and good that 51 percent of us support the right of gay men and lesbians to tell it to the judge, but really, what hubris makes us think we have a right to say yea or nay in the first place?”

— Syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts, who supports gay marriage, in a post titled “Rights are rights, not gifts.” (Miami Herald, March 28)

“I never thought I would get to kiss Michael Douglas. I kind of think of it in algebra terms, back to my high-school days. It’s like the transitive property – by kissing Michael Douglas, I am making out with Catherine [Zeta-Jones, Douglas’ wife].”

— Matt Damon, who plays the boyfriend of Liberace, portrayed by Michael Douglas, in a new film about the flamboyant gay pianist. (People Magazine, March 27)

“I just saw Matt... and I was teasing him. I was saying, ‘Bring a lot of ChapStick, babe.’”

— Actor Michael Douglas on preparing to kiss Matt Damon in a new movie about Liberace (E! Online, March 23)

Top photo: Actress Elizabeth Taylor, who passed away on March 23 (Publicity photo)