I now realize that I am a gay man before anything else. Other gays may think they're a Jew first, or black, or a banker, but I'm gay.
Larry KramerRead
I was at Yale from 1953 to 1957, and I tried to commit suicide in my freshman year because I was gay, and I thought I was the only person in the school who was. I was just totally and utterly miserable.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the struggles of being different and the pain of feeling isolated in one's identity.
Larry Kramer shares a deeply personal experience of his time at Yale, where he faced immense emotional turmoil as a gay student during a period of societal stigma. His quote reflects the loneliness and despair felt by individuals who believe they are alone in their struggles, emphasizing the importance of acceptance and support in fostering well-being among marginalized communities.
Themes
GayIsolationMental HealthAcceptanceIdentity
In practice
Example use cases
During a pride event, to emphasize the importance of support for LGBTQ+ youth.
More from Larry Kramer
All quotes →AIDS is a plague - numerically, statistically and by any definition known to modern public health - though no one in authority has the guts to call it one.
Larry KramerRead
I think being gay and gay people are the most wonderful things in the world. I wish all of us could have the power and pride to benefit from what is rightfully ours. Why isn't there an enormous building in Washington called the 'National Association of Lesbian and Gay Concerns' to lobby for us?
Larry KramerRead
The most important fact is that gays have been here since day one. To say otherwise is a gross denial and stupidity. We played an enormous part in the history of America.
Larry KramerRead
We didn't exist. Ronald Reagan didn't say the word 'AIDS' until 1987. I've tried desperately to get a meeting in the White House; Gay Men's Health Crisis is already an established organization. I have a certain presence.
Larry KramerRead
AIDS was allowed to happen. It is a plague that need not have happened. It is a plague that could have been contained from the very beginning.
Larry KramerRead
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