1
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Hello!

2
00:00:23,217 --> 00:00:25,087
Oh, good. No one's started drinking yet.

3
00:00:25,087 --> 00:00:27,732
Everyone's feeling kind of perky 
and excited.

4
00:00:27,732 --> 00:00:29,880
Good, for I hope you'll remember 
what we talk about,

5
00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:31,141
at least up to this point.

6
00:00:31,141 --> 00:00:33,687
After that, you're on your own.

7
00:00:33,687 --> 00:00:36,534
When I was about sixteen years old,

8
00:00:36,534 --> 00:00:38,818
I can remember 
flipping through channels at home,

9
00:00:38,818 --> 00:00:40,299
during summer vacation,

10
00:00:40,299 --> 00:00:42,669
looking for a movie to watch on HBO.

11
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And how many of you remember 
Ferris Bueller's Day Off?

12
00:00:45,861 --> 00:00:47,526
Oh, yeah. Great movie, right?

13
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Well, I saw Matthew Broderick 
on the screen,

14
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and so I thought, "Sweet!

15
00:00:51,128 --> 00:00:53,673
Ferris Bueller. I'll watch this!"

16
00:00:53,673 --> 00:00:56,410
It wasn't Ferris Bueller. 
And forgive me, Matthew Broderick.

17
00:00:56,410 --> 00:00:58,630
I know you've done other movies 
besides Ferris Bueller,

18
00:00:58,630 --> 00:01:00,561
but that's how I remember you. 
You're Ferris.

19
00:01:00,561 --> 00:01:02,807
But you weren't doing 
"Ferrisy" things at the time.

20
00:01:02,807 --> 00:01:06,292
You were doing gay things at the time.

21
00:01:06,292 --> 00:01:09,593
He was in a movie 
called Torch Song Trilogy.

22
00:01:09,593 --> 00:01:12,186
And Torch Song Trilogy 
was based on a play

23
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about this drag queen,

24
00:01:14,135 --> 00:01:16,455
who, essentially, was looking for love.

25
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Love and respect.

26
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That's what the whole film was about.

27
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And, as I'm watching it, I'm realizing

28
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that they're talking about me.

29
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Not the drag queen part.

30
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I'm not shaving my hair for anyone.

31
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But the gay part, 
the friendly love and respect,

32
00:01:31,668 --> 00:01:35,520
the part about trying to find 
your place in the world.

33
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So, as I'm watching this,

34
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I see this powerful scene 
that brought me to tears,

35
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and it's stuck with me 
for the past 25 years.

36
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And it's this quote 
that the main character, Arnold,

37
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tells his mother,

38
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as they're fighting about who he is

39
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and the life that he lives:

40
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"There's one more thing 
you'd better understand.

41
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I have taught myself to sew,

42
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cook, fix plumbing, build furniture.

43
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I can even pat myself on the back, 
when necessary.

44
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Also, I don't have 
to ask anyone for anything.

45
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There's nothing I need from anyone,

46
00:02:15,742 --> 00:02:19,336
except for love and respect,

47
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and anyone who can't give me 
those two things

48
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has no place in my life."

49
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I remember that scene 
like it was yesterday.

50
00:02:28,521 --> 00:02:30,590
I was sixteen, I was in tears,

51
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I was in the closet

52
00:02:32,207 --> 00:02:34,182
and I'm looking at these two people,

53
00:02:34,182 --> 00:02:37,079
Ferris Bueller and some guy 
I'd never seen before,

54
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(Laughter)

55
00:02:38,258 --> 00:02:40,321
fighting for love.

56
00:02:42,901 --> 00:02:45,151
When I finally got to a place in my life

57
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where I came out and accepted who I was

58
00:02:47,359 --> 00:02:49,176
-- and was really quite happy, 
to tell you the truth,

59
00:02:49,176 --> 00:02:51,686
I was happily gay 
and I guess that's supposed to be right,

60
00:02:51,686 --> 00:02:54,089
because "gay" means "happy" too --,

61
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I realized that a lot of people 
weren't as gay as I was,

62
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"gay" being "happy", not "gay" being

63
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attracted to the same sex.

64
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(Laughter)

65
00:03:01,931 --> 00:03:04,629
In fact, I heard 
that there was a lot of hate

66
00:03:04,629 --> 00:03:07,213
and a lot of anger 
and a lot of frustration

67
00:03:07,213 --> 00:03:10,814
and a lot of fear about who I was

68
00:03:10,814 --> 00:03:13,902
and the gay lifestyle.

69
00:03:13,902 --> 00:03:16,100
Now, I'm sitting here 
trying to figure out,

70
00:03:16,100 --> 00:03:17,818
"the gay lifestyle", "the gay lifestyle".

71
00:03:17,818 --> 00:03:20,412
And I keep hearing this word 
over and over and over again,

72
00:03:20,412 --> 00:03:22,399
"lifestyle", "lifestyle", lifestyle".

73
00:03:22,399 --> 00:03:23,975
I've even heard a politicians say

74
00:03:23,975 --> 00:03:26,722
that the gay lifestyle is a greater threat

75
00:03:26,722 --> 00:03:29,641
to civilization than terrorism.

76
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That's when I got scared!

77
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(Laughter)

78
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Because I'm thinking,

79
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"If I'm gay,

80
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and I'm doing something 
that's going to destroy civilization,

81
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I need to figure out what this stuff is

82
00:03:41,948 --> 00:03:43,933
and I need to stop doing it right now!"

83
00:03:43,933 --> 00:03:46,777
(Laughter)

84
00:03:46,777 --> 00:03:49,508
So, I took a look at my life,

85
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a hard look at my life,

86
00:03:52,169 --> 00:03:55,072
and I saw some things very disturbing.

87
00:03:55,576 --> 00:03:59,787
[The Super-Duper Evil Gay Lifestyle] 
(Laughter)

88
00:03:59,787 --> 00:04:01,630
And I want to begin sharing 
these evil things

89
00:04:01,630 --> 00:04:03,323
that I've been doing with you,

90
00:04:03,323 --> 00:04:05,669
starting with my mornings.

91
00:04:05,669 --> 00:04:06,877
(Laughter)

92
00:04:06,877 --> 00:04:09,288
I drink coffee.

93
00:04:09,288 --> 00:04:10,597
Not only do I drink coffee,

94
00:04:10,597 --> 00:04:13,195
I know other gay people who drink coffee.

95
00:04:13,195 --> 00:04:14,676
(Laughter)

96
00:04:15,706 --> 00:04:18,108
I get stuck in traffic.

97
00:04:18,788 --> 00:04:21,343
Evil, evil traffic!

98
00:04:22,103 --> 00:04:25,063
Sometimes I get stuck 
in lines at airports!

99
00:04:25,573 --> 00:04:26,989
I look around and I go, "My God!

100
00:04:26,989 --> 00:04:28,209
Look at all these gay people!

101
00:04:28,209 --> 00:04:30,080
We're all trapped in these lines,

102
00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:32,770
these long lines, 
trying to get into the airplane!

103
00:04:32,770 --> 00:04:34,555
My God! This lifestyle that I'm living

104
00:04:34,555 --> 00:04:37,372
is so freaking evil!"

105
00:04:37,372 --> 00:04:38,812
(Laughter)

106
00:04:38,812 --> 00:04:40,503
I clean up.

107
00:04:40,503 --> 00:04:43,503
This is not an actual photograph 
of my son's room.

108
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His is messier.

109
00:04:45,087 --> 00:04:46,963
(Laughter)

110
00:04:46,963 --> 00:04:48,564
And, because I have a fifteen-year-old,

111
00:04:48,564 --> 00:04:51,780
all I do is cook, and cook, and cook.

112
00:04:51,780 --> 00:04:54,129
Any parents out there of teenagers?

113
00:04:54,129 --> 00:04:56,303
All we do is cook for these people!

114
00:04:56,303 --> 00:04:59,639
They eat two, three, four dinners a night!

115
00:04:59,639 --> 00:05:01,618
It's ridiculous! (Laughter)

116
00:05:01,618 --> 00:05:04,891
This is the gay lifestyle.

117
00:05:04,891 --> 00:05:06,399
And after I'm done cooking,

118
00:05:06,399 --> 00:05:08,847
and cleaning, and standing in line,

119
00:05:08,847 --> 00:05:11,635
and getting stuck in traffic,

120
00:05:11,635 --> 00:05:14,930
my partner and I, we get together

121
00:05:14,930 --> 00:05:16,811
and we decide that we're going to go

122
00:05:16,811 --> 00:05:20,807
and have some wild and crazy fun.

123
00:05:20,807 --> 00:05:22,902
(Laughter)

124
00:05:24,302 --> 00:05:28,017
We're used to be in bed before we find out
who's eliminated on American Idol.

125
00:05:28,017 --> 00:05:29,152
(Laughter)

126
00:05:29,152 --> 00:05:31,332
We have to wake up 
and find out the next day

127
00:05:31,332 --> 00:05:35,209
who's still on, 
because we're too freaking tired

128
00:05:35,209 --> 00:05:37,238
to hear who stays on.

129
00:05:37,238 --> 00:05:42,035
This is the super-duper, 
evil gay lifestyle. (Laughter)

130
00:05:42,035 --> 00:05:44,731
Run for your heterosexual lives, people!

131
00:05:44,731 --> 00:05:46,549
(Laughter)

132
00:05:46,549 --> 00:05:51,868
(Applause)

133
00:05:54,318 --> 00:05:58,855
When my partner Steve and I 
first started dating,

134
00:05:58,855 --> 00:06:02,450
he told me the story about penguins.

135
00:06:02,450 --> 00:06:05,591
And I didn't know 
where he was going with it at first.

136
00:06:05,591 --> 00:06:08,294
He was kind of a little bit nervous 
when he was sharing it with me.

137
00:06:08,294 --> 00:06:11,004
But he told me that, 
when a penguin finds a mate

138
00:06:11,004 --> 00:06:13,962
that they want to spend 
the rest of their life with,

139
00:06:13,962 --> 00:06:15,765
they present them with a pebble.

140
00:06:15,765 --> 00:06:18,161
The perfect pebble.

141
00:06:18,161 --> 00:06:19,914
And then he reaches into his pocket

142
00:06:19,914 --> 00:06:22,483
and he brings this out to me.

143
00:06:24,003 --> 00:06:26,120
And I looked at it and I was like,

144
00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:28,480
"This is really cool."

145
00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:32,130
And he says, "I want to spend 
the rest of my life with you."

146
00:06:33,210 --> 00:06:36,396
So, I wear this 
whenever I have to do something

147
00:06:36,396 --> 00:06:38,208
that makes me a little nervous,

148
00:06:38,208 --> 00:06:41,805
like, I don't know, a TEDx talk. (Laughter)

149
00:06:41,805 --> 00:06:43,772
I wear this when I am apart from him

150
00:06:43,772 --> 00:06:45,807
for a long period of time,

151
00:06:45,807 --> 00:06:48,951
and sometimes 
I just wear it just because.

152
00:06:49,571 --> 00:06:52,022
How many people out there are in love?

153
00:06:52,022 --> 00:06:54,498
Anyone in love out there?

154
00:06:55,238 --> 00:06:56,954
You might be gay.

155
00:06:56,954 --> 00:06:59,180
(Laughter)

156
00:06:59,180 --> 00:07:01,111
Because I too am in love

157
00:07:01,111 --> 00:07:03,385
and, apparently, 
that's part of the gay lifestyle

158
00:07:03,385 --> 00:07:05,981
I warned you about. (Laughter)

159
00:07:05,981 --> 00:07:10,845
(Applause)

160
00:07:11,535 --> 00:07:14,215
You may want to tell your spouse,

161
00:07:14,215 --> 00:07:17,304
who, if they're in love, 
might be gay as well.

162
00:07:17,304 --> 00:07:19,500
How many of you are single?

163
00:07:19,500 --> 00:07:20,856
Any single people out there?

164
00:07:20,856 --> 00:07:22,895
You too might be gay,

165
00:07:22,895 --> 00:07:26,379
because I know some gay people 
who are also single.

166
00:07:26,379 --> 00:07:28,579
It's really scary, this gay lifestyle thing.

167
00:07:28,579 --> 00:07:30,268
It's super-duper evil

168
00:07:30,268 --> 00:07:32,775
and there's no end to it.

169
00:07:32,775 --> 00:07:36,618
It goes and goes and engulfs [us].

170
00:07:36,618 --> 00:07:38,825
It's really quite silly, isn't it?

171
00:07:38,825 --> 00:07:40,747
That's why I'm so happy

172
00:07:40,747 --> 00:07:44,589
to finally hear President Obama 
come out and say...

173
00:07:44,589 --> 00:07:49,989
(Applause) (Cheering)

174
00:07:52,249 --> 00:07:56,000
that he supports marriage equality.

175
00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:58,027
It's a wonderful day 
in our country's history,

176
00:07:58,027 --> 00:08:00,443
it's a wonderful day 
in the globe's history

177
00:08:00,443 --> 00:08:02,999
to be able to have 
an actual sitting president

178
00:08:02,999 --> 00:08:05,055
say "Enough of this",

179
00:08:05,055 --> 00:08:08,637
first to himself and then 
to the rest of the world.

180
00:08:08,637 --> 00:08:10,598
It's wonderful.

181
00:08:11,118 --> 00:08:12,942
But there's something 
that's been disturbing me

182
00:08:12,942 --> 00:08:18,035
since he made that remark 
just a short time ago.

183
00:08:18,035 --> 00:08:21,974
And that is, apparently, 
this is just another move

184
00:08:21,974 --> 00:08:26,989
by the gay activists that's 
on the "Gay Agenda".

185
00:08:27,979 --> 00:08:29,416
And I'm disturbed by this

186
00:08:29,416 --> 00:08:33,896
because I have been openly gay now 
for quite some time.

187
00:08:33,896 --> 00:08:35,920
I've been to all of the functions.

188
00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:37,285
I've been to fundraisers,

189
00:08:37,285 --> 00:08:38,570
I've written about the topic

190
00:08:38,570 --> 00:08:41,766
and I have yet to receive 
my copy of this "Gay Agenda".

191
00:08:41,766 --> 00:08:44,129
(Laughter)

192
00:08:44,129 --> 00:08:45,936
I've paid my dues on time...

193
00:08:45,936 --> 00:08:48,730
(Laughter)

194
00:08:49,430 --> 00:08:51,458
I've marched in gay pride flags,

195
00:08:51,458 --> 00:08:53,189
parades and the whole nine,

196
00:08:53,189 --> 00:08:56,256
and I have yet to see 
a copy of the "Gay Agenda".

197
00:08:56,256 --> 00:08:57,678
I was very, very frustrated.

198
00:08:57,678 --> 00:09:01,381
I was feeling left out 
like I wasn't quite gay enough.

199
00:09:01,381 --> 00:09:03,917
But then, something wonderful happened.

200
00:09:03,917 --> 00:09:06,990
I was out shopping, as I tend to do,

201
00:09:06,990 --> 00:09:11,053
and I came across a booklet copy

202
00:09:11,053 --> 00:09:14,779
of the official Gay Agenda.

203
00:09:15,429 --> 00:09:18,402
And I said to myself, "LZ, for so long,

204
00:09:18,402 --> 00:09:20,861
you have been denied this.

205
00:09:20,861 --> 00:09:22,865
When you get in front of this crowd,

206
00:09:22,865 --> 00:09:25,579
you're going to share the news,

207
00:09:25,579 --> 00:09:27,543
you're going to spread the Gay Agenda,

208
00:09:27,543 --> 00:09:29,253
so no one else has to wonder,

209
00:09:29,253 --> 00:09:33,193
'What exactly is in the Gay Agenda?'

210
00:09:33,193 --> 00:09:36,143
'What are these gays up to?' (Laughter)

211
00:09:36,143 --> 00:09:38,232
'What do they want?'"

212
00:09:39,352 --> 00:09:42,566
So, without further ado,

213
00:09:42,566 --> 00:09:44,478
I will present to you, ladies and gentlemen,

214
00:09:44,478 --> 00:09:47,395
-- and be careful, because it's evil --

215
00:09:47,395 --> 00:09:53,346
a copy, the official copy 
of the Gay Agenda.

216
00:09:57,006 --> 00:10:02,517
[Gay Agenda] 
(Music)

217
00:10:41,855 --> 00:10:43,784
The Gay Agenda, people!

218
00:10:43,784 --> 00:10:48,957
(Applause) (Cheering)

219
00:10:48,957 --> 00:10:53,161
There it is. Did you soak it all in?

220
00:10:53,161 --> 00:10:54,861
The Gay Agenda!

221
00:10:54,861 --> 00:10:56,992
Some of you may be calling it

222
00:10:58,002 --> 00:10:59,650
"The Constitution of the United States"?

223
00:10:59,650 --> 00:11:01,414
Is that what you call it too?

224
00:11:01,414 --> 00:11:06,204
The US Constitution is the Gay Agenda.

225
00:11:06,204 --> 00:11:09,025
These gays, people like me,

226
00:11:09,025 --> 00:11:11,233
want to be treated like full citizens.

227
00:11:11,233 --> 00:11:15,183
And it's all written down! In plain sight!

228
00:11:15,183 --> 00:11:17,162
I was blown away when I saw it!

229
00:11:17,162 --> 00:11:20,859
I was like, "Wait! Is this the Gay Agenda?

230
00:11:20,859 --> 00:11:22,411
Why didn't you just call it 
"The Constitution",

231
00:11:22,411 --> 00:11:24,842
so I knew what you were talking about?

232
00:11:24,842 --> 00:11:29,008
I wouldn't have been so confused! 
I wouldn't have been so upset!"

233
00:11:29,008 --> 00:11:33,622
But... there it is! The Gay Agenda.

234
00:11:33,622 --> 00:11:35,892
Run for your heterosexual lives.

235
00:11:35,892 --> 00:11:37,372
(Laughter)

236
00:11:39,142 --> 00:11:42,459
Did you know that in all the states

237
00:11:42,459 --> 00:11:44,774
where there is no shading,

238
00:11:44,774 --> 00:11:49,302
people who are gay, lesbian, 
bisexual or transgendered

239
00:11:49,302 --> 00:11:51,554
can be kicked out 
of their apartments for being

240
00:11:51,554 --> 00:11:55,171
gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered?

241
00:11:56,301 --> 00:11:59,020
That's the only reason 
that a landlord needs

242
00:11:59,020 --> 00:12:00,364
to have them removed,

243
00:12:00,364 --> 00:12:02,238
because there's no protection

244
00:12:02,238 --> 00:12:06,271
from discrimination of GLBT people.

245
00:12:07,691 --> 00:12:10,922
Did you know, in the states 
where there is no shading,

246
00:12:10,922 --> 00:12:12,962
that you can be fired

247
00:12:12,962 --> 00:12:17,421
for being gay, lesbian, 
bisexual or transgendered,

248
00:12:17,421 --> 00:12:21,747
not based upon the quality of your work,

249
00:12:21,747 --> 00:12:23,576
how long you've been there,

250
00:12:23,576 --> 00:12:25,743
if you stink?

251
00:12:25,743 --> 00:12:31,656
Just if you're gay, lesbian, 
bisexual or transgendered.

252
00:12:32,546 --> 00:12:37,686
All of which flies in the face 
of the Gay Agenda,

253
00:12:37,686 --> 00:12:41,244
also known as the US Constitution,

254
00:12:41,244 --> 00:12:45,317
specifically this 
little Amendment right here:

255
00:12:45,317 --> 00:12:47,945
"No state shall make or enforce any law

256
00:12:47,945 --> 00:12:50,323
which shall abridge 
the privileges or immunities

257
00:12:50,323 --> 00:12:54,048
of citizens of the United States."

258
00:12:54,908 --> 00:12:57,877
I'm looking at you, North Carolina,

259
00:12:57,877 --> 00:13:00,828
but you are not looking 
at the US Constitution.

260
00:13:02,688 --> 00:13:06,038
This is the Gay Agenda, equality.

261
00:13:06,038 --> 00:13:07,680
Not special rights,

262
00:13:07,680 --> 00:13:10,499
but the rights that have been 
already written

263
00:13:10,499 --> 00:13:11,861
by these people,

264
00:13:11,861 --> 00:13:14,639
these elitists, if you will.

265
00:13:14,639 --> 00:13:18,087
Educated, well dressed...

266
00:13:18,087 --> 00:13:20,447
(Laughter)

267
00:13:20,447 --> 00:13:23,558
Some would dare say 
"Questionably dressed"...

268
00:13:23,558 --> 00:13:25,658
(Laughter)

269
00:13:26,378 --> 00:13:30,377
Nonetheless, our forefathers, right?

270
00:13:30,377 --> 00:13:33,124
The people that, we say, 
knew what they were doing

271
00:13:33,124 --> 00:13:34,609
when they wrote the Constitution,

272
00:13:34,609 --> 00:13:37,152
the Gay Agenda, if you will.

273
00:13:37,152 --> 00:13:41,682
All of that flies on the face 
of what they did.

274
00:13:43,992 --> 00:13:46,266
That is the reason why

275
00:13:46,266 --> 00:13:48,131
I felt it was imperative

276
00:13:48,131 --> 00:13:50,425
that I presented you

277
00:13:50,425 --> 00:13:53,674
with this copy of the Gay Agenda,

278
00:13:53,674 --> 00:13:56,552
because I figured if I made it funny,

279
00:13:56,552 --> 00:13:58,639
you wouldn't be as threatened.

280
00:13:58,639 --> 00:14:00,804
I figured if I was a bit irreverent,

281
00:14:00,804 --> 00:14:03,212
you wouldn't find it serious.

282
00:14:03,212 --> 00:14:05,821
But when you see the map

283
00:14:05,821 --> 00:14:09,038
and you see our state of Michigan,

284
00:14:09,728 --> 00:14:14,225
it's legal to fire someone

285
00:14:14,225 --> 00:14:18,054
for being gay, lesbian, 
bisexual or transgendered.

286
00:14:18,054 --> 00:14:22,831
It's legal to remove someone 
from their home

287
00:14:22,831 --> 00:14:27,331
because they're gay, lesbian, 
bisexual or transgendered.

288
00:14:27,331 --> 00:14:29,344
But you'll realize 
that this whole conversation

289
00:14:29,344 --> 00:14:31,168
about marriage equality

290
00:14:31,168 --> 00:14:34,603
is not about stripping 
someone's rights away.

291
00:14:34,603 --> 00:14:36,234
It's about granting them the rights

292
00:14:36,234 --> 00:14:39,244
that have already been stated.

293
00:14:39,244 --> 00:14:41,694
And we're just trying 
to walk in those rights

294
00:14:41,694 --> 00:14:44,139
that have already been stated,

295
00:14:44,139 --> 00:14:47,724
that we have already agreed upon.

296
00:14:47,724 --> 00:14:52,246
There are people living in fear

297
00:14:53,256 --> 00:14:56,050
of losing their jobs!

298
00:14:56,980 --> 00:15:00,856
So, they don't show anyone 
who they really are!

299
00:15:02,026 --> 00:15:04,111
Right here, at home.

300
00:15:04,111 --> 00:15:05,937
This isn't just about North Carolina.

301
00:15:05,937 --> 00:15:09,779
In all those states that were clear

302
00:15:09,779 --> 00:15:11,565
it's legal.

303
00:15:12,535 --> 00:15:15,392
If I could brag for a second,

304
00:15:15,392 --> 00:15:18,771
I have a fifteen-year-old son,

305
00:15:18,771 --> 00:15:21,468
from my marriage.

306
00:15:21,468 --> 00:15:24,158
He has a 4.0.

307
00:15:24,158 --> 00:15:27,547
He is starting a new club at school,

308
00:15:27,547 --> 00:15:30,004
"Policy Debate".

309
00:15:31,524 --> 00:15:34,371
He is a budding track star.

310
00:15:34,371 --> 00:15:38,283
He has almost every single record 
in middle school

311
00:15:38,283 --> 00:15:41,322
for every event that he competed in.

312
00:15:41,322 --> 00:15:43,724
He volunteers.

313
00:15:43,724 --> 00:15:46,297
He prays before he eats.

314
00:15:47,957 --> 00:15:50,741
I would like to think, as his father,

315
00:15:50,741 --> 00:15:53,724
and he lives with me primarily,

316
00:15:53,724 --> 00:15:56,943
that I have a little something 
to do with all of that.

317
00:15:56,943 --> 00:15:59,422
I would like to think 
that he's a good boy,

318
00:15:59,422 --> 00:16:02,305
a respectful young man.

319
00:16:02,305 --> 00:16:05,152
I would like to think that I've proven

320
00:16:05,152 --> 00:16:07,543
to be a capable father.

321
00:16:08,213 --> 00:16:12,149
But if I were to go 
to the state of Michigan today

322
00:16:12,149 --> 00:16:14,708
and try to adopt a young person

323
00:16:14,708 --> 00:16:16,097
who is in an orphanage,

324
00:16:16,097 --> 00:16:19,833
I would be disqualified 
for only one reason:

325
00:16:20,623 --> 00:16:22,612
because I'm gay.

326
00:16:23,342 --> 00:16:25,491
It doesn't matter 
what I've already proven,

327
00:16:25,491 --> 00:16:28,064
what I can do with my heart.

328
00:16:28,474 --> 00:16:31,559
It's because of what the state 
of Michigan says that I am

329
00:16:31,559 --> 00:16:36,521
that I am disqualified 
for any sort of adoption.

330
00:16:39,021 --> 00:16:41,832
And that's not just about me.

331
00:16:41,832 --> 00:16:47,021
That's about so many 
other Michiganders, US citizens,

332
00:16:47,021 --> 00:16:51,955
who don't understand why what they are

333
00:16:51,955 --> 00:16:56,589
is so much more significant 
than who they are.

334
00:16:58,409 --> 00:17:00,821
This story just keeps playing 


335
00:17:00,821 --> 00:17:05,152
over and over and over again 
in our country's history.

336
00:17:06,392 --> 00:17:09,691
There was a time in which, I don't know,

337
00:17:09,691 --> 00:17:13,101
people who were black 
couldn't have the same rights.

338
00:17:14,171 --> 00:17:16,032
People who happened to be women

339
00:17:16,032 --> 00:17:18,896
didn't have the same rights: 
they couldn't vote!

340
00:17:19,726 --> 00:17:21,069
There was a point in our history

341
00:17:21,069 --> 00:17:23,741
in which, if you were 
considered disabled,

342
00:17:23,741 --> 00:17:25,459
then an employer could just fire you,

343
00:17:25,459 --> 00:17:28,246
before the 
America's With Disabilities Act.

344
00:17:29,326 --> 00:17:32,000
We keep doing this over and over again!

345
00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:34,399
And so, here we are,

346
00:17:34,399 --> 00:17:36,910
2012,

347
00:17:36,910 --> 00:17:38,947
Gay Agenda,

348
00:17:38,947 --> 00:17:40,769
gay lifestyle,

349
00:17:40,769 --> 00:17:42,979
and I'm not a good dad,

350
00:17:42,979 --> 00:17:45,975
and people don't deserve 
to be able to protect their families,

351
00:17:45,975 --> 00:17:48,072
because of what they are,

352
00:17:48,072 --> 00:17:50,383
not who they are.

353
00:17:51,673 --> 00:17:53,595
So, when you hear the words 


354
00:17:53,595 --> 00:17:57,815
"gay lifestyle" and "Gay Agenda" 
in the future,

355
00:17:57,815 --> 00:18:00,973
I encourage you to do two things.

356
00:18:00,973 --> 00:18:04,931
One: remember the US Constitution.

357
00:18:05,771 --> 00:18:08,259
And then, two: if you wouldn't mind

358
00:18:08,259 --> 00:18:11,500
looking to your left, please.

359
00:18:12,970 --> 00:18:15,175
Look to your right.

360
00:18:16,655 --> 00:18:21,322
That person next to you 
is a brother, is a sister,

361
00:18:21,322 --> 00:18:23,490
and they should be treated 
with love and respect.

362
00:18:23,490 --> 00:18:25,095
Thank you.

363
00:18:25,095 --> 00:18:27,690
(Applause)