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.
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?
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses pride in the LGBTQ+ community and advocates for their rights and representation.
Larry Kramer passionately highlights the beauty and strength found within the gay community, emphasizing the need for greater recognition and advocacy for LGBTQ+ issues. He suggests that society should celebrate and empower gay individuals by establishing official representation, indicating that the absence of such advocacy structures reveals a significant oversight in addressing their rights and concerns. The quote calls for unity and pride within the community, pushing for societal acknowledgment and support.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a Pride event, to inspire unity and encourage advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights.
More from Larry Kramer
All quotes βAIDS 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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When I die, remember that what you knew of me is with you always. What is buried is only the shell of what was. Do not regret the shell, but remember the man. Remember the father.
Only two kinds of daughters, she shouted in Chinese. Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind!
The loneliest you will get is in the most public of arenas: You will go to a place and end up in the smallest compartment possible, because it's a distraction to everybody, and you end up not getting to enjoy it like everyone else.
I'm continually amazed by how many people who appear to be extroverts are actually introverts.
Isn't it sad that really the only times I feel seen as an American are when I'm abroad? I'm not saying racism doesn't exist outside of the United States. What I am saying is that the rest of the world can see that I'm American. Why is it so hard for so many White Americans?
Where I come from, you don't really talk about how much you're earning. Those things are private. My dad never told my mum how much he was earning. I'm certainly not going to tell the world. I'm doing well.