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Gays and lesbians began to gain civil rights when Americans realized that their brothers, cousins, daughters were gay.

Really, when it comes to gay rights, there's two wars going on. The first war is political. But the culture war is over.

There are still civil rights issues. There are still people who can't be visited by their spouse in the hospital because they're gay. These are humanitarian issues. At the end of the day, all you want is for people to be happy in the pursuit of life, love and liberty.

Gay rights are human rights.

Civil rights and women's rights and gay rights all take time in this country.

Many civil rights came about, not when they were passed into law, but because the federal government did what it should and saw them enforced.

In the '70s, the gay movement was really making strides. Huge strides. And then AIDS came along and slapped a judgment on it all and the Right Wing religious movement was like, 'See. This is why, we told you.' And it pushed back the movement 30 years.

The culmination of a long struggle was 2013, which could clearly be labeled the Year of the Gay. State after state had legalized gay marriage, despite intense opposition from the religious right.

The death of anti-gay hate speech is no doubt being hastened by the head-spinning speed with which gays as a group - to say nothing of gay marriage - are becoming an unremarkable and even quite traditional parts of American life.

Yet through history gays have always dominated religious life and churches.