Most writers tend to get worse rather than better. I'm determined to be one that gets better.
Edmund WhiteRead
The Stonewall riots were a key moment for gay people. Throughout modern history, gays had thought of themselves as something like a mental illness or maybe a sin or a crime. Gay liberation allowed us to make the leap to being a 'minority group,' which made life much easier.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The Stonewall riots were pivotal in transforming perceptions of gay identity from one of shame to pride as a minority group.
Edmund White highlights the significance of the Stonewall riots in the journey towards gay liberation. Before this moment, many gay individuals viewed their identities through a lens of stigma, shame, and criminality. The events at Stonewall sparked a powerful shift that allowed the LGBTQ+ community to embrace their identities as a legitimate minority group, fostering a sense of pride and belonging that eased the struggles they faced in society.
Themes
StonewallGay LiberationIdentityMinority GroupPride
In practice
Example use cases
A speech at a pride event celebrating the advancements made in LGBTQ+ rights.
More from Edmund White
All quotes →I've always seen writing as a way of telling the truth. For me, writing is about truth. I have always tried to be faithful to my own experience.
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In a memoir, your main contract with the reader is to tell the truth, no matter how bizarre.
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If bigots oppose gay marriage so vehemently, it must be because marriage is a defining institution for them; gays will never be fully accepted until they can marry and adopt, like anyone else.
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When we are young... we often experience things in the present with a nostalgia-in-advance, but we seldom guess what we will truly prize years from now.
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I was never an assimilationist. I always thought gays had some special mission.
Edmund WhiteRead
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