It's not like we wanted to talk about the fact that we're gay all the time, but the world has forced it to be an issue.
Interpretation
The quote expresses the frustration of having to address one's identity due to societal pressures.
John Grant's quote highlights how individuals from the LGBTQ+ community often feel compelled to discuss their sexual orientation not out of desire, but because society continues to stigmatize it as a pressing issue. This reflects the broader struggle against societal norms that demand constant justification or explanation of one's identity.
In practice
In a speech at a pride event to emphasize the importance of visibility.
I spent many years trying to fit in and do things the way I thought I was supposed to - trying to be perceived the way I thought people wanted to see me. I grew up in a very religious household and wasn't taught to feel comfortable or good about my sexuality, so it feels great to be able to say things the way I want to say them.
His courtesy was somewhat extravagant. He would write and thank people who wrote to thank him for wedding presents and when he encountered anyone as punctilious as himself the correspondence ended only with death.
...and when you’ve known me longer, you’ll learn that I mean everything I say.” “Even the lies?” “Especially the lies.
You can't get there alone. People have to help you, and I do believe in karma. I believe in paybacks. You get people to help you by telling the truth, by being earnest.
A prolonged silence ensues. The reason for the silence is our growing interest one for the other. No one is aware of it, no one yet; no one? am I quite sure?
I’ve been rereading your story. I think it’s about me in a way that might not be flattering, but that’s okay. We dream and dream of being seen as we really are and then finally someone looks at us and sees us truly and we fail to measure up. Anyway: story received, story included. You looked at me long enough to see something mysterioso under all the gruff and bluster. Thanks. Sometimes you get so close to someone you end up on the other side of them.
No one's ever dared come out and say it before, but there's not a man among us that doesn't think it, that doesn't feel just as you do about her and the whole business - feel it somewhere down deep in his scared little soul.
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