“I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties. And quite frankly, I don’t see much of a distinction beyond that.”

— Vice President Joe Biden on Meet the Press, touching off debate over whether he had gone beyond President Obama, who does not support gay marriage but has said his views are “evolving.” (Meet the Press, May 6)

“There are few things in life more important than being able to marry and build a family with the person you love. This fundamental right should be available to all Americans, including gay and lesbian couples.”

— Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President John Kennedy, who on May 7 presented the 2012 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award to three Iowa Supreme Court justices who were voted out of office for ruling to legalize gay marriage. (Shewired.com, May 7)

“Making same sex marriage illegal is the same as having segregated drinking fountains. Embarrassing. The human race is embarrassing.”

—WWE wrestler CM Punk, via Twitter, expressing his support for gay marriage the day before North Carolina voted on banning gay marriage in the state constitution. (AfterElton.com, May 7)

“Gayness is built into Batman. I’m not using gay in the pejorative sense, but Batman is very, very gay. There’s just no denying it.”

— Comic book writer Grant Morrison, who has written Batman series for DC Comics since 2006. (Playboy, April 18)