Dustin Lance Black

“For Coca-Cola to take a pro-diversity, pro-equality stance creates a lot of goodwill in the LGBT community.”

“I was very lucky to hear the story of Harvey Milk, it was life-saving for me. I wanted to share it in case it helped others, but the story of one gay man isn't going to do it.”

“Anyone who says a movie about history is a historical document is crazy.”

“Through my political work in D.C., and having done 'Milk' I got to know a lot of gay octogenarians. They are lovely and they like to tell their stories, and I like hearing them.”

“My mom achieved so much more than the doctors said she ever would. I miss her.”

“I think for too many decades, the politicians have driven a wedge between the gay and lesbian communities and the religious communities for their own benefit, and I think it's time to start to broach those divides.”

“I grew up in the Mormon Church and I have a very strange relationship with that.”

“I'm always interested in getting to know people, and that means vilified people as much as those celebrated. You find out that heroes aren't always so heroic, and villains have some bit of humanity in them.”

“I love Jennifer Connelly.”

“My father, my Mormon father, took off when I was a young man and, or actually very young, I was like six years old, so a young boy.”

“I wrote 'Milk' for me. I wrote it for the younger version of me that had no clue that there are people who'd ever fought for my rights.”

“Mom got very heated about the new government policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. In her view it was going to allow closeted gay people into her military and she was really against it... she just assumed I agreed with her opinions.”

“People are always going to disagree politically, because we all come at the law from a different perspective with different needs.”

“Some people only look at the good stuff and some people only look at the bad stuff.”

“The drive to be a parent is strong. It's one of the most ingrained human traits there is.”

“To be gay means you are drawn to the same sex. You can be gay and abstinent. But it's a part of who you are, an identity, not an act.”

“I grew up quite poor, and the Mormon church was always there for us as a family.”

“The octogenarians who have pictures of Hillary Clinton under their toilet-bowl covers - they've completely accepted me.”

“If you do something with acceptance and kindness, you can create a true friendship.”

“You know, for a long time I became almost atheist. I believed in nothing. And it was tough for me to believe in anything at all because I had believed so strongly. And I divorced myself of spirituality, I think.”