It’s taken a whole lot of words and a whole lot of actions to get where we are, for queer culture and acceptance to reach its current state.
And each pride month we get to engage in some of these actions, celebrating our sexuality, our souls, and our whole wonderful selves!
But here are a few of the words that have helped us along the way, encouraging us to stand strong in the face of resistance, to embolden us enough to take some of those crucial, aforementioned actions.
“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” — Oscar Wilde
“It is better to be hated for who you are than to be loved for what you are not.” — Andre Gide
“There are people everywhere who form a Fourth World, or a diaspora of their own. They are the lordly ones. They come in all colours. They can be Christians or Hindus or Muslims or Jews or pagans or atheists. They can be young or old, men or women, soldiers or pacifists, rich or poor. They may be patriots, but they are never chauvinists. They share with each other, across all the nations, common values of humor and understanding. When you are among them you know you will not be mocked or resented, because they will not care about your race, your faith, your sex, or your nationality, and they suffer fools if not gladly, at least sympathetically. They laugh easily. They are easily grateful. They are never mean. They are not inhibited by fashion, public opinion or political correctness. They are exiles in their own communities, because they are always in a minority, but they form a mighty nation.” — Jan Morris
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” — Oscar Wilde
“Hope will never be silent.” — Harvey Milk
“You are imperfect, you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.” — Brene Brown
“The things that make us different, those are our superpowers.” — Lena Waithe
“Just be you, and that’s going to be so much better than wishing to be anything else.” — Angel Haze
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” — E.E. Cummings
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won’t adhere to any rules.” — Tom Robbins
“Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love.” — John Steinbeck
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those that matter don’t mind.” — Dr. Seuss
“To be yourself is a revolutionary act.” — Lena Waithe
“After a while, you learn to ignore the names people call you and just trust who you are.” — Shrek
“To be nobody but yourself – – in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else – – means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and never stop fighting.” — E.E. Cummings
“We are not what other people say we are. We are who we know ourselves to be, and we are what we love.” — Laverne Cox
“The single best thing about coming out of the closet is that nobody can insult you by telling you what you’ve just told them.” — Rachel Maddow
“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” — Haruki Murakami
“Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature.” — Tom Robbins
“There is no standard normal. Normal is subjective. There are seven billion versions of normal on this planet.” — Matt Haig
“I think being gay is a blessing, and it’s something I am thankful for every single day.” — Anderson Cooper
“I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.” — Tim Cook
“Personally, coming out was one of the most important things I’ve ever done, lifting from my shoulders the millstone of lies that I hadn’t even realized I was carrying.” — Sir Ian McKellen
“We are our own dragons as well as our own heroes, and we have to rescue ourselves from ourselves”. — Tom Robbins
“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life. Define yourself.” — Harvey Fierstein
“Being gay isn’t something you choose, but you do face choices about whether and how to discuss it.” — Pete Buttigieg
“But I have a new love for that glittering instrument, the human soul. It is a lovely and unique thing in the universe. It is always attacked and never destroyed.” — John Steinbeck
“Love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.” — James Baldwin
“What is straight? A line can be straight, or a street, but the human heart, oh, no, it’s curved like a road through mountains.” — Tennessee Williams
The only way to survive is by taking care of one another.” — Grace Lee Boggs
“When you reduce life to black and white, you never see rainbows.” — Rachel Houston
“If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” — Dolly Parton
“‘What happens when people open their hearts?” “They get better.’” — Haruki Murakami
“You are placed in a landscape, you are placed in time. But, within that, there’s a bit of room for maneuver. To some extent, you can be the author of your own fate.” — Kathleen Jamie
“I’m not ashamed of being gay, never have been and never will. For that, I have no apologies.” — Tommy Kirk
“It’s not beauty that endears, it’s love that makes us see beauty.” — Leo Tolstoy
“We’re born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we’re not alone.” — Orson Welles
“I was born this way.” — Lady Gaga
“Why are you mad when you could be glad?” — Taylor Swift
“If you aim to be something you’re not, you will always fail. Aim to be you. Aim to look and act and think like you. Aim to be the truest version of you. Embrace that you-ness. Endorse it. Love it. Work hard at it. And don’t give a second thought when people mock or ridicule it. Most gossip is envy in disguise.” — Matt Haig
“We can’t choose where we come from, but we can choose where to go from there.” — Stephen Chbosky
“Show class, have pride, and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself.” — Bear Bryant
“Being gay is like glitter; it never goes away.” — Lady Gaga
“I was born lost and take no pleasure in being found.” — John Steinbeck
Final Thoughts
Often it’s a perfect string of words that precede the actions that change the cultural landscape, so pick some of these inspiring quotes as your monthly mantras, get out there, and enjoy yourself, because that joy is more powerful than anything else in this world!
Hello, my name is Gay Worlley - no, really - and I love learning about all things queer. I am also a qualified gardener and enjoy traveling in my spare time.
I love sharing my travel stories with anyone who will listen, and now I want to share them with the world through my new website! Not only that, but I want to inspire others and teach you about LGBTQ+ travel, queer media, pride, and much more.
Enjoy my website and, more importantly, enjoy learning about important subjects that need more educational attention. Thanks for stopping by!
