Quote of the Day

Filed under: Gay Gay Gay > Quote of the Day > Inspiration

"All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression."

- Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and one of the most influential Founding Fathers

Posted: Nov 13, 2008 at 11:45 am / Email this »

See All 185 Comments

185 comments to “Quote of the Day”

More comments: « 1 [2]

ummmmm823 says – reply to this

101

give it up already! seriously- i don't hear you commenting and babbling about other equality rights- only the ones that affect you.
PoisonApple says – reply to this

102

This was back in the 1800's
get over yourself
grampah says – reply to this

103

Perez: Will you post this story for all of your Palin haters?
.
MSNBC retracts false Palin story; others duped
Writer David Bauder, Ap Television Writer – Wed Nov 12, 11:33 pm ET
.
NEW YORK – MSNBC was the victim of a hoax when it reported that an adviser to John McCain had identified himself as the source of an embarrassing story about former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, the network said Wednesday.
David Shuster, an anchor for the cable news network, said on air Monday that Martin Eisenstadt, a McCain policy adviser, had come forth and identified himself as the source of a Fox News Channel story saying Palin had mistakenly believed Africa was a country instead of a continent.
Eisenstadt identifies himself on a blog as a senior fellow at the Harding Institute for Freedom and Democracy. Yet neither he nor the institute exist; each is part of a hoax dreamed up by a filmmaker named Eitan Gorlin and his partner, Dan Mirvish, the New York Times reported Wednesday.
cocoxo says – reply to this

104

Re: aearly1 – actually TJ WAS talking about religious minorities here. read a book, dumbass.
topper says – reply to this

105

Re: LULU~* –
What does Palin have to do with Thomas Jefferson? Why didn't you bring up Bill Clinton and his "I did not have sex with that woman." Now that's a whopper. Didn't he see the camera in front of him?
lezbotte says – reply to this

106

No on H8! Thank Perez!!!
cocoxo says – reply to this

107

Re: Misses Small – not in America, actually. Separation of Church and State? Idiot…
lilgrnfrg07 says – reply to this

108

all be it that this message is wonderful we can't foret that thomas jefferson had how many slaves, had sex with those slaves which resulted in a child that was opressed the same in not more than their slave parents. I think a better less hypocritical quote could easily be found.
Pogue Mahone says – reply to this

109

Oh, boy….here he goes *again* with the gay-rights thing; it's NOT a civil rights issue! gays have the same legal rights and protections and benefits anyone else does; they are allowed to vote, get medical and insurance spousal benefits, don't have to sit at the back of the bus or drink from separate fountains, and the like.They just can't get "married", but civil unions are legally recognized.You don't hear men whining because they can't give birth, do you? There are limits and restrictions between the sexes. Kids can't get married either, because they don't qualify but you don't see them rallying, do you?
silly bee says – reply to this

110

"the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail"
AS LONG AS PEOPLE AGREE WITH YOU, RIGHT???
silly bee says – reply to this

111

Re: Pogue Mahone – i dont get this people… they got civil unions, what do they want? everybody to LIKE what they do? they are already respected, but they just dont respect people who dont agree with them. its not like they cannot be together - they got civil unions! im totally pro-gay right, but some of them have just become opressors. thats ridiculous.
cdiddy says – reply to this

112

there are currently no crimes against homosexuals going unpunished in America. Name 1? If a crime can be difinitively classified as "hate" or "discriminatory" then the law of the land will prevail.No further legislation or public referendum is needed. If it is health care benefits that you're looking for & that's really what this is all about….then go buy some. Should the majority of service industry workers who are without adequate health care cry discrimination & quote the words of a statesman that demanded equality to all…unless they were working in his fields at the time. It took 13 presidents after Jefferson to fully abolish slavery in all forms…. Lincoln wasn't a farmer,ya see!
sarapilar says – reply to this

113

Re: Pogue Mahone –

I AGREE! Give gays all the equal rights they want, but "Marriage' is a man + woman. Don't try to enforce gays wished onto the rest of us!!!! You are equal, minus the fact that you can't get "Married".
cutektbear says – reply to this

114

GO TO JOINTHEIMPACT.COM TO FIND A LOCATION NEAR YOU FOR THE NATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST ON PROP 8 THIS SATURDAY NOV 15th!
tiff tiff says – reply to this

115

Thomas Jefferson was actually anti-gay. It's so sad. He may have made statements like this one, but really he was only referring to white straight people. He thought that gay men should be castrated, and gay women should have their noses burned off. I learned that in college, from a professor who still thought TJ was a great man, but urged me to realize that nobody has all the right answers.
Itsjustmeisme says – reply to this

116

The minority he meant may be the gay MONKEYS just like you Perez
k10ason says – reply to this

117

Uh, I don't think Jefferson was referring to sexual preferences in his "minority" equality statement. Your website is getting so far from celebrity gossip…and becoming laughable.
hokiegirl says – reply to this

118

I don't understand why you're quoting Thomas Jefferson as a Democrat, seeing as he was notorious for his limited government view points, which is completely against everything the Democrats are for. May I remind you of another Jefferson quote, "The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." Which is exactly what is happening with this 'redistribution of wealth' bullshit.
greekmal says – reply to this

119

Context Perez, context…The newly established American citizens were the minority and they were seeking equal rights. I am not sure he had sexual preference in mind.
sillytart says – reply to this

120

you're an idiot. he was NOT talking about gay rights. He was talking about hetero, white male land owners. THAT'S IT. do your research.
TheOneWhoIs says – reply to this

121

I think Thomas Jefferson was talking about cigarette smokers.
nyclibra says – reply to this

122

Perez obviously doesn't know american history. arguably the most influential man that signed the constitution was John Adams. You need to review your facts.
The Mary. says – reply to this

123

You know, enough is fucking enough. Marriage is basically a Christian/Catholic institution anyway… go have a civil union because the Christians and Catholics voted for prop 8 and that's all there is to it. Like I have said before, I voted no on 8… but the people have spoken. Have you ever fucking thought about how much attention this non issue is getting over things like say THE ECONOMY, THE WARS, GLOBAL WARMING??????? Just sit the fuck tight, next time around it won't pass and in the meantime focus on the important things rather than a Prop thrown on the ballot to distract people because they are conditioned to think one way or the other about an issue.
blueyes says – reply to this

124

I agree, the people have spoken twice now, give it up.
Hannah says – reply to this

125

Yeah…but back when he wrote that the minority were rich white men…so he is basically saying to protect them…good thing the meaning has changed a little over time…
ChrisInKy says – reply to this

126

Perez,
I am so happy I e-mailed you this quote.
I knew you would love it.
Letty-
just shut up. Really, nobody likes you here. Why do you even come here??????
BeautyQueen says – reply to this

127

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
topper says – reply to this

128

Re: The Mary. –
Where did you get the hair brained idea that "Marriage is basically a Christian/Catholic institution"? Don't you believe that atheists, Muslims, Hindus, etc. get married? BTW, globing warming has been over for years. The trend now is cooling. If you're going to be trendy, you have to keep up to speed.
BeautyQueen says – reply to this

129

Re: LettyB – WHAT IS WITH ALL YOU FUCKING HATERS??? How ignorant can you possibly be?? No need to be so ugly and hateful. Envy and jealousy consume you.
CherylDiane says – reply to this

130

Perez - I think by "minority" Jefferson may have been referring to the minority of voters, as opposed to a minority group as we use the term today. I also believe that Mr. Jefferson, if presented with the idea of gay marriage, would probably spin over in his grave, considering the religious base he and the other founding fathers used when creating the laws of our country, As much as I dislike Prop8 in California, I think twisting the words of any great former leader is the wrong way to go. It insults the intelligence of both sides of the argument. I hope this is a statement you found and innocently pulled yourself, and not an argument being used by the folks hoping to overturn Prop 8.
pandagurl says – reply to this

131

Re: iloverob – No, and who gives a shit, fucktard!
Sgirl says – reply to this

132

Hmmm, doubt he was talking about gays Perez or blacks since he owned slaves. You should do a little research Perez. Too funny! Hey, you know who you should quote is Elton John. Did you see what he had to say about Gay marriage? Why don't you quote that. He has no problem with Yes on 8!! He said: “David and I have a civil partnership in England. We have complete rights between the two of us, we’re protected completely,” “I think the word ‘marriage’ puts a lot of people off in this country.” “If they [gays] got over the word ‘marriage,’ I think it would be a lot easier for gay people to get together,” Maybe you should listen t your Papa and shut the hell up.
celebrilover says – reply to this

133

that's a really nice quote Perez, but do your research. Thomas Jefferson was a slave owner and helped in coming up with the three-fifths compromise……so not the best person to get "equality " quotes from
Sgirl says – reply to this

134

QUOTE FROM ELTON JOHN AT HIS AIDS FOUNDATION BENEFIT LAST NIGHT IN NEW YORK:
“David and I have a civil partnership in England. We have complete rights between the two of us, we’re protected completely,” “I think the word ‘marriage’ puts a lot of people off in this country.” “If they [gays] got over the word ‘marriage,’ I think it would be a lot easier for gay people to get together,”
HAHAHAHAHAHAH! Even your "papa" doesn't agree with you Perez!! TOO FUNNY!!! ELTON JOHN IS FOR YES ON 8!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVIN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
froco says – reply to this

135

Lets talk about the protest where all the gays started screaming and beating up on that old lady holding a cross…interesting. I thought all gays were funny and nice…good to see these gays think they are the only ones that have the right to protest..they demand tolerance and yet they have none for others… (search on you tube "Prop 8 cross")
JonzeyWTF says – reply to this

136

You're an idiot. Everyone knows you didn't find that quote on your own. Your mind probably imploded as you read it.
xhollax says – reply to this

137

THOMAS JEFFERSON THE SLAVE OWNER!!
xhollax says – reply to this

138

THOMAS JEFFERSON was not only a despicable human being, a slave owner, he was also a phedophile/rapist who impregnated his teenage slave. Why is Perez quoting this animal.
lovelyS says – reply to this

139

LETTY B get the fuck out of here all you do is criticize perez
fuck you.
ms bitch says – reply to this

140

mario….well done..showin the facts..that"majority"is whatever the ruling body politic tell it to do.its a myth..all that'freedom'feed fear and panic into a mob and the react like sheep…oppression is exactly what the gov in your land wants..simple undeniable
ms bitch says – reply to this

141

Re: b a t k i s s – ignoramus does as ignoramus says
greenleafbella says – reply to this

142

OMGGGGGGGGG THAT QUOTE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BEING GAY. WOOOOOOOOOW YOU ARE SERIOUSLY MESSED IN THE HEAD.

and honestly its not like people are saying you cant be gay. it has to do with marriage. go get a civil union!its the same thing. or do you want to have property if you do end up divorcing a partner?
ViewFromHere says – reply to this

143

Was Tom Jefferson a true "Ginger"? Did the carpet match the drapes?
Nickysue says – reply to this

144

I assure you he meant the Revolution between England which was a GREAT MANY,, and the colonies which were few…. Never in his right mind would he conceive on men giving it to other men up the ass… so nice try!
rhoniluv says – reply to this

145

Re: fartsparker – LOL! 40 ACRES & A MULE, BITCH! LOL! u knew what i meant. tee-hee
JuliaGulia says – reply to this

146

His quote DOES NOT pertain to sexual orientation, social class, etc., but rather of color, creed, etc. You resorted to twisting around words sung by a man who literally OWNED slaves, had multiple affairs (ahem, rape!) with the black slave women he owned and had children through those affairs.

Your ignorance is staggering. Please don't try to pull this wikipedia bullshit with you readers… it has nothing to do with you other than your ethnicity.
babygrand says – reply to this

147

Pretty sure he wasn't talking about dudes screwing each other. Oh, and he was a huge ADULTERER. Screwed BLACK WOMEN while he was a SLAVE OWNER. Yeah, what an inspirational quote from a moral man. HAAAAA
kiiki says – reply to this

148

here's a few other thomas jefferson quotes:

“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”

or what about:

“The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”

obama's plan for redistributing hard-working american tax payer dollars to the 40% of american's who already don't pay taxes in order to 'take care of the poor' will be a failure… for our economy and our democracy.
xhollax says – reply to this

149

"Was Tom Jefferson a true "Ginger"? Did the carpet match the drapes?"

Ask his slaves he would frequently rape them.
xhollax says – reply to this

150

Looks like we're seeing Perez's true colors, quoting a rapist and a slave owner.
xjxoxnxix says – reply to this

151

In the words of the great Dr. Seuss (to all of you crazy, republican, h8ters)
"I know up on the top you are seeing great sights, but down at the bottom we, too, should have rights!"
Millie05 says – reply to this

152

YEAH im sure he had guys blowing other guys in mind when he said that.
TheJenny says – reply to this

153

…as long as that minority is white, male, and owns land
b a t k i s s says – reply to this

154

Re: Pogue Mahone – " it's NOT a civil rights issue! " :: Seems to me it could clarify communication for you if we started referring to Californiaian heterosexual's access to marriage as a 'SPECIAL RIGHT'.
GrooveMonkey says – reply to this

155

Re: LULU~* – hahahahaha! that was TOO funny! Thanks for the brevity! Have a nice night!
GrooveMonkey says – reply to this

156

Re: Keep it real – Til the very end!
GrooveMonkey says – reply to this

157

The brilliance of good writing is that it's message transcends the time period in which it was written. I think this quote is powerful for exactly that reason. TJ was a hypocrite, but just like all the haters on this site, he had a spark of divine light. Regardless of the original intention of this message, it is powerfully true now as it was back then.
It's amazing how many people ASSUME that they know the exact meaning of documents written hundreds of years ago-it's all conjecture because none of us were there (it's kinda like assuming we know what God means-the ego of man is funny…and scary)
Office Drone says – reply to this

158

Now you're trying to teach us History? Get off your pedestal.
devomerenga says – reply to this

159

does that include an unborn babies rights or…?
plano says – reply to this

160

Perez,

Where's Elton's quote ????

He got it right! Listen!
topper says – reply to this

161

Re: xhollax –
HORSE SHIT!
SlickWilley says – reply to this

162

Perez he was not talking about FAGS and LESBOS. If you had any kind of education, you would have known that the fathers of our country where all about all normal GODs children, not what drops between the sheets.
LizzieHead says – reply to this

163

Wow. There is a whole lot of ignorance in this chain of comments. Very sad.

And whether or not Jefferson was a hypocrite (Really, who hasnt said/done hypocritical things in their own life - granted of much less gravity, but still) should not matter as his writings & thoughts are the basis of our country and our version of democracy! Show some respect people!

And I still dont understand why people who are so antigay and otherwise ignorant would torture themselves by coming to read a site run by a liberal gay cuban. That must be incredibly frustrating, I wouldnt take the time if I were them. Its very strange that they would waste their time spewing their hate on site where the vast majority of people are going to oppose and think of them as morons.

Nice quote Perez.
xhollax says – reply to this

164

"And whether or not Jefferson was a hypocrite "

No he was an evil human being who had slaves and would rape those slaves even a CHILD!
xhollax says – reply to this

165

"Really, who hasnt said/done hypocritical things in their own life - granted of much less gravity,"

I've never raped anyone. I would never enslave another human being. When looking at Thomas Jefferson you focus on him being a hypocrite???? how about his evil acts.
Sensible says – reply to this

166

You have no right to quote Thomas Jefferson, you are a disgrace to this country.
TBAAAA says – reply to this

167

Perez acts like he made a relevation about a man who wrote the freakin constitution….what a dumbshit
CuddlyCarla says – reply to this

168

Jefferson was right. And, that mentality was written into the Constitution. That's why denying anyone basic human rights in America is something that isn't acceptable, nor something should even be voted on. This is a great country, and as such, my only comfort in this situation is that it is temporary, and that soon gays will achieve the same equal rights as other minority groups. Stay strong and keep fighting.
Cottonquinn says – reply to this

169

Re: b a t k i s s –

When was slavery a result of religious conviction you ignorant head up your ass…? Slavery in the U.S. was the result of our former colony status. Slavery was used on all the european colonies. The colonies of France used slavery. The colonies of Spain used slavery, the British colonies used slavery. Do you see a pattern here fuck wit? If anything religion was what helped put an end to slavery. Blacks were not the only race used as slaves either. Latin American natives(the ones in loincloths who still put bones through their noses and were considered "savages and inferior")were used as slaves, too. I hate people who know nothing about American History or only know the negative history of the USA that their communist hate America teachers and professors teach them.
laaaaame says – reply to this

170

he meant EVERYONE in this country - blacks, gays, anyone who is a minority should have equal rights.. he didn't leave out gays, so STFU you stupid, ignorant losers saying he didn't mean gays… OBVIOUSLY he did mean every single citizen of the USA… god, you people are so f*cking close-minded and plain STUPID
laaaaame says – reply to this

171

and PS he was a founding father and a part of the CONSTITUION - so his words DO mean something FYI…
laaaaame says – reply to this

172

Re: SlickWilley – really?!?! WOW you are such a mind-reader!! Do you have atime machine that you travel back to the 1700s where you speak to the Founding Fathers?? YOU are the one who sounds ignorant!! There were gays in the US back then too, smart guy - so if he didn't want them to have equal rights, he would've excluded them from that statement. so OBVIOUSLY he meant everyone in this country… you're an idiot and a bigot
nilestheninja says – reply to this

173

This is the GREATEST quote and I am so grateful that you posted it; obviously our founders never intended us to poison our constitutions with hate or the "banning" of rights, rather to use them to protect one another's rights, whether we agree with them or not. I will link this post forever!
swampthing says – reply to this

174

You tool, you realize that jefferson said this, WHILE he still owned slaves? He's not talking about a minority as in a racial minority, he's not talking about fags as a minority. He's talking about a minority, as in what's left after the majority.
swampthing says – reply to this

175

Re: laaaaame –

Omg, you need some history lessons. NO ONE would have openly acknowledge fags back in that time period. Jefferson wasn't talking about minority races, the owned slaves at the time you tool. He was talking about the people leftover from the majority that didn't agree with what the majority decided.
Afed44 says – reply to this

176

WAH
Itsjustmeisme says – reply to this

177

If you are married Perez, how do want to be addressed ? Mrs Perez? And how will your husband introduce you to others? " Hello, this is my wife Mrs Perez" hahahahahaha ….
bite me says – reply to this

178

I can assure you he WAS NOT talking about cock sucking homo's.
Dark Goddess says – reply to this

179

Amen to that!
Keep it real says – reply to this

180

Re: GrooveMonkey – We don't have to assume we know what God means. The message is clear in the Bible. He has told us what is right and wrong. Some people want to be accepting of everything and call it "tolerance". It isn't right to hate any person, but it is right to condemn that which God condemns. "Hate the sin; don't hate the sinner."
Biggledorf says – reply to this

181

you've taken this waaaaaay out of context, mario. he's referring to the minority as it relates to the majority in a vote, which you even included in your own quote. he's saying those who voted in the minority should not be persecuted for voting against the majority.

good grief…if you're going to take words and twist them to suit your own needs, at least do it correctly and leave out the part that contradicts the point you're trying to make.
Biggledorf says – reply to this

182

Re: Oh Resist Her – no, he's right. obama got around 52% of the popular vote. he just won in the states with more electoral votes, hence the electoral landslide. it was not, however, a popular landslide.
pony says – reply to this

183

Never mind he raped lots of his slaves. Where were their rights?
bunsen b says – reply to this

184

This man was a giant. If only he could have been around for the past 18 years.
goyim-American says – reply to this

185

You fucking imbecile ignorant hypocrit fuck, Perez! How DARE your sad, fat Cuban communist Marxist ass even evoke the spirit of our(NOT *your*) founding fathers when you are an unabashed cheerleader for the un-American and un-Constitutional War on(some)Drug(users)? You`re a fucking hippocrit
when you advocate YOUR right to buttfuck and be buttfucked(no problem with that here, per se, as I`m fully in favor of consenting adults to do as they please, as long as they aren`t hurting anyone else in the process. Got it?)

So when do you intend to extend that same courtesy and deference to individual liberty(this is AMERICA and not your Marxist Cuban shithole from whence you and yours *escaped* from) you expect, no,..DEMAND from the
rest of us to leave you and yours alone - heck, you DEMAND that America allows you cocksuckers and buttfuckers to Officially Marry(and that`s all well and good to THIS Libertarian Atheist), but as long as you call for prison and forced rehab for drug users who have hurt no one save perhaps themselves, you`re a sad fucking HIPPOCRIT who gets ZERO respect from me and mine.