Lance Loud

“Proclaiming a sexual preference is something that straight men never really have to bother with.”

“For the naysayers that claimed 'American Family' revealed us to be vacant, unloving, uncaring morons of the materialistic '70s, this image will be proven wrong when Mom and Dad remarry... Make no mistake. This is not to emphasize the sadness of my demise but rather emphasize the love of my family and friends.”

“Coming out is a means of redefining oneself, of claiming membership in a lifestyle and a social order with distinct values. Chief among these values is honesty.”

“Gay culture is surviving and thriving. Some activists believe the recent rise in homophobic violence might be a gauge of the success of positive gay images.”

“Sexuality is a private matter; some believe that broadcasting it destroys the very things that make it sacred.”

“Too pop for punk, too 'old school' for the New Wave, Mumps were a '70s era New York rock band, out of time.”

“My reasons for declaring a sexual preference had to do less with the pursuit of personal freedom than with the lust for pure shock value.”

“Unlike straight men, who have the luxury of being slobs because women usually expect them to be, gay men - whether preppies, fashion victims, or jocks - are thought to be more obsessed with how they look because they dress for themselves and, consequently, for each other.”

“Gay culture is in a coming-out process of its own. From out of the closets in the '60s, the culture moved onto the disco floors of the '70s and through the hospital wards of the '80s and onwards to the streets.”