I was pursuing my acting career, but I was silent on the LGBT issue, the issue that was closest to me. I knew if I came out then, I'd have had to change careers.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the challenges of being true to oneself while pursuing a career.
George Takei expresses the internal struggle he faced between his professional aspirations in acting and his personal identity as a member of the LGBT community. He acknowledges that being open about his sexuality could have jeopardized his career, highlighting the difficult choices many individuals in marginalized communities must confront when navigating societal expectations and professional ambitions.
In practice
In a speech about acceptance during Pride Month.
I remembered some people who lived across the street from our home as we were being taken away. When I was a teenager, I had many after-dinner conversations with my father about our internment. He told me that after we were taken away, they came to our house and took everything. We were literally stripped clean.
I'd like to think that, when I explain it, that Mr. Trump will understand marriage is defined by two people who love each other, commit to each other, and will care for each other through thick and thin.
Back in the day, coming out was something very personal. You began by acknowledging the truth, first to yourself, then to close family and friends. Those of us more in the public spotlight, though, also had to 'come out' to the press.
My father told me about American democracy. And he said you have to be actively engaged in the political process to make our democracy work. So I've been doing that my entire life. Civil rights movement. The peace movement during the Vietnam conflict. The movement to get an apology and redress for Japanese-Americans.
I'm especially concerned about the future of this country, because I'm concerned about the gay people of the future. We need to ensure their good life by registering to vote.
In many ways, my decision to come out changed the course not only of my personal life but of my professional one as well.
Kindness towards strangers is rare in North Korea. There is a risk to helping others. The state made accusers and informers of us all.
As an adolescent, I was painfully shy, withdrawn. I didn't really have the nerve to sing my songs on stage, and nobody else was doing them. I decided to do them in disguise so that I didn't have to actually go through the humiliation of going on stage and being myself.
The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.
After my accident, I never worried about how I looked.
I guess [coming out publicly] seems like a weight off my shoulders. I’ve been playing a lot better than I’ve ever played before. I think I’m just enjoying myself and I’m happy.
Frequent and violent temptations were a proof that the citadel of the soul had not fallen and that the devil raged to make it fall.
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