Shane Bitney Crone, 10/16/12

Co-founder, Bridegroom and Bitney

As a teenager who was once ashamed to be gay and afraid to speak up for himself, I know that an event like Spirit Day can make all the difference for someone. By wearing purple, LGBT supporters of all sexual orientations and gender identities can send a powerful message.

Robert Schrader, 10/16/12

Writer, photographer and editor of LeaveYourDailyHell.com

The chief benefit of travel, so far as I've been able to deduce in my seven years of doing it, is that you are able to step out of your comfort zone for a short time.

Al Franken, 10/16/12

U.S. Senator from Minnesota

Gay and lesbian Americans have always been part of our communities. But over the course of the last generation, more and more of them have felt comfortable being truly honest about who they are. And, too slowly but very surely, it's changing our country for the better.

Amy Andre, 10/16/12

Co-author, 'Bisexual Health: An Introduction'; speaker on bisexual health and LGBT issues

A new report shows that bisexual women and gay men experience higher rates of domestic-violence victimization than people of other gender-and-sexual-orientation combinations. Thus, queer people in relationships with men are being abused by those men at disproportionate rates.

Richard J. Rosendall, 10/16/12

Vice President for Political Affairs, Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA)

One of the wonders of our age is the persistence of "birthers" and other true believers who insist that Barack Obama is an Islamist terrorist mole bent on destroying America, but this flight from reality isn't only a problem on the right.

Maria Burnham, 10/16/12

Writer and hairstylist; author, 'Jesus Loves Lesbians, Too'

I have always been an advocate of online dating, for a variety of reasons. I think it's a great way to meet people you would never otherwise encounter, see places you may never have heard of and build confidence. Nevertheless, it is still difficult to navigate as a bisexual woman.

John Corvino, 10/16/12

Chair of Philosophy, Wayne State University

Christianity Today just published an interview with the "embattled" sociologist Mark Regnerus. Unsurprisingly, the interview perpetuated the right-wing's popular characterization of Regnerus as the victim of political correctness.

William J. Mann, 10/16/12

Author, 'Hello Gorgeous: Becoming Barbra Streisand'

In the early 1960s, when Streisand was just starting out, gay audiences instinctively recognized something very familiar about her, a shared sensibility. That was only logical, given that her sensibility had been nurtured by gay men, after all. And this was hardly a new phenomenon.

Jack Bryant, 10/16/12

Assistant Professor, Ithaca College; Screenwriter, 'Camp Revelation'

In my film Camp Revelation, a young straight man tries to rescue his younger brother from an ex-gay therapy camp. To do so, he must pretend to be gay and enroll in the camp himself.

Emily Timbol, 10/16/12

Author and Blogger

I can't help wishing that what Timothy had done, instead of spending his time learning through pretending, was spend a year using his privilege to fight for the people around him.

Randy Neece, 10/16/12

Author, 'Gone Today, Here Tomorrow: A Memoir'

The Boy Scouts of America have denied 17-year-old Ryan Andresen his Eagle pin because he came out as gay. My nephew Matt received his Eagle pin about 10 years ago, and his father Jeff, my brother-in-law, was a troop leader. I was curious about where Matt and Jeff stood on the issue.

Zack Rosen, 10/16/12

Co-founder and former Editor-in-Chief, The New Gay

A great mystery in contemporary music is why Toronto-based trio Dragonette have not become a household name. Like their spiritual sister Robyn, Dragonette is the rare electro outfit who can make you cry through your ass-shaking or boogie through your tears.

Todd Fernandez, 10/16/12

Gay human rights activist

Even if you don't vote on gay issues, it is significant that the United States has declared to the world that gay rights are human rights.

Rob Watson, 10/16/12

LGBT activist and blogger, evoL =

Reflect on your relationship, your most tender romance. Think of the moment when you realized that you were in love with someone and that person loved you back. Now ponder what it would feel like to be asked to make all that a deathly secret, hide it away and cloak it in shame.

Katy Butler, 10/16/12

Anti-bullying activist

During tonight's debate, we'll hear both candidates' plans for how they plan to lead America to a better tomorrow. For young people like me and for families like mine, a better tomorrow is one where no one has to go to school afraid of being bullied because of who they are.

Tida Tippapart, 10/16/12

Creative Producer and Artist

The politics of the other in Out Twenty Four assumes many skins and voices through the work selected for the one night event.

Allison Hope, 10/16/12

PR specialist and journalist

It may finally be the case that "gay" has turned a corner and is no longer the wedge issue it once was, or that we may at least be close to seeing both sides of the aisle realize that they need to accept what the majority of the country already accepts.