“Gay characters are human beings. We’re all exactly the same. That’s the reason I played it the way I did, not as a caricature. … I know there is a lot of anti-gay sentiment in our society at the moment and I abhor it.”

Actor Christopher Plummer, who portrayed a gay man who came out after age 70 in the film “Beginners.” The role won him a Screen Actors Guild Award on Jan. 29 for best supporting actor. (On Top Magazine, Jan. 30)

“Well anyway, that’s why you don’t have a man. Go and hang with them faggots with your ugly ass.”

— Marlo Hampton on the Jan. 29 episode of “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” arguing with Sheree Whitfield. (VIBEvixen.com, Jan. 30)

“I would like to offer from the bottom of my heart the fullest and most heartfelt apology for my recent use of an anti-gay slur.  When I used this word, I was not mindful of the demeaning connotation that this has in the gay community.”

—  “Real Housewives” Marlo Hampton, apologizing the next day on her website, noting that her first act after the incident was to ask forgiveness of her close friend and assistant for eight years. (VIBEvixen.com, Jan. 30)

“For me, it is a choice. I understand that for many people it’s not, but for me it’s a choice, and you don’t get to define my gayness for me.”

— Actress Cynthia Nixon in an interview with the New York Times after her recent remark that “I’ve been straight and I’ve been gay, and gay is better” drew criticism from some LGBT activists. (ABCNews.com, Jan. 24)

“While I don’t often use the word, the technically precise term for my orientation is bisexual. I believe bisexuality is not a choice, it is a fact. What I have ‘chosen’ is to be in a gay relationship.”

— Cynthia Nixon in a written statement clarifying her remark. (Advocate.com, Jan. 30)

“In some ways, gender should be irrelevant. It shouldn’t matter who someone is connected to and finds love and a life with. I hope [full federal equality] will come to be a reality for the LGBT world.”

— Actress Glenn Close, who plays a woman who lives as a man in 19th century Dublin in her new film “Albert Nobbs.” (Windy City Times, Jan. 25)

Top photo: Marlo Hampton (via Facebook.com/marlohampton)