All young people, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, deserve a safe and supportive environment in which to achieve their full potential.
Harvey MilkRead
I was born of heterosexual parents. I was taught by heterosexual teachers in a fiercely heterosexual society. Television ads and newspaper ads — fiercely heterosexual. A society that puts down homosexuality. And why am I a homosexual if I'm affected by role models? I should have been a heterosexual. And no offense meant, but if teachers are going to affect you as role models, there'd be a lot of nuns running around the streets today.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the influence of societal norms on identity, questioning how role models shape sexuality.
Harvey Milk highlights the contradiction between societal expectations of sexuality and individual identity. He argues that despite being surrounded by heterosexual role models, he identifies as homosexual, suggesting that sexuality is not solely influenced by external factors like family or societal norms. The emphasis on the rejection of homosexuality in society shows the struggles faced by those who do not conform to heteronormative standards, and the quote serves as a reminder of the importance of accepting diverse sexual identities.
Themes
SexualityIdentitySocietyRole ModelsHomosexuality
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the impact of societal norms on personal identity.
More from Harvey Milk
All quotes →Burst down those closet doors once and for all, and stand up and start to fight.
Harvey MilkRead
If I do a good job, people won't care if I am green or have three heads.
Harvey MilkRead
Rights are won only by those who make their voices heard.
Harvey MilkRead
If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door in the country.
Harvey MilkRead
All over the country, they're reading about me, and the story doesn't center on me being gay. It's just about a gay person who is doing his job.
Harvey MilkRead
Similar quotes
At times our need for a sympathetic gesture is so great that we care not what exactly it signifies or how much we may have to pay for it afterwards.
E. M. ForsterRead
There are many tough conversations, but one of the most difficult is between a parent and an adolescent daughter, partly because as a parent we are almost always attempting to relate to someone who is no longer there.
David WhyteRead
Hug and kiss whoever helped get you - financially, mentally, morally, emotionally - to this day. Parents, mentors, friends, teachers. If you're too uptight to do that, at least do the old handshake thing, but I recommend a hug and a kiss. Don't let the sun go down without saying thank you to someone, and without admitting to yourself that absolutely no one gets this far alone.
Stephen KingRead
If you want others to like you, if you want to develop real friendships, if you want to help others at the same time as you help yourself, keep this principle in mind: Become genuinely interested in other people.
Dale CarnegieRead
Men and women, they were beautiful and wild, all a little violent under their pleasant ways and only a little tamed.
Margaret MitchellRead
A lot of widows feel that they have betrayed their spouse by continuing to live. It's deranged thinking. I know that, but that doesn't stop you feeling it.
Joyce Carol OatesRead