Being born gay, black, and female is not a revolutionary act. Being proud to be a gay black female is.
Interpretation
Pride in one's identity is a powerful act of resistance and empowerment.
Lena Waithe emphasizes that mere existence as a member of marginalized groups does not constitute a revolutionary stance; it is the embrace and celebration of one's identity that challenges societal norms and inspires change. By being proud of her intersectional identity as a gay black female, she asserts her strength and encourages others to acknowledge and celebrate their own unique identities.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of self-acceptance and pride in one's identity.
As a black woman in the industry, you really do have to hold your head higher, stick your chest out, be kind and polite and generous even when you don't want to be sometimes. I learned that and, also, just to never take no for an answer.
Being a black lesbian myself, I roll my eyes a little bit when I see black lesbian characters on shows where it's purely there for decoration. You can just hear it in the writers room... 'What if we make her a lesbian?'
It's weird because I see black gay characters on television all the time, but do I relate to them? Not always, because they're set pieces.
The cool thing about dope black style becoming in style is that the industry has no choice but to try and reduplicate that.
For me, it's about making art that's not good but phenomenal. James Baldwin didn't want to just stay above the fray. Prince didn't think, 'I wonder what the industry is gonna think about 'Purple Rain.'' It's just, is this honest? Is this real? Does this move me? The rest is icing.
I don't want to be white. I don't want to be straight. I don't want to blend in.
...and that visibility which makes us most vulnerable is that which also is the source of our greatest strength.
Women have always been the primary victims of war. Women lose their husbands, their fathers, their sons in combat. Women often have to flee from the only homes they have ever known. Women are often the refugees from conflict and sometimes, more frequently in today's warfare, victims. Women are often left with the responsibility, alone, of raising the children.
Long before morning I knew that what I was seeking to discover was a thing I'd always known. That all courage was a form of constancy. That it is always himself that the coward abandoned first. After this all other betrayals come easily.
Sexuality and gender don't change anyone's performance on the court.
Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.
You've been told that you're broken. That you're damaged goods ... there is also Post-Traumatic Growth. You come back from war stronger and more sure of who you are.
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