--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only thing I have going on at a…" description: "\"The only thing I have going on at a personal level is just the way I knew I was gay and I knew what that meant inside me, but the gender aspect of who ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e69/amy-ray-14697_aspect_the-only-thing-i-have-going-on-at-a-pers_2452043.png" --- # The only thing I have going on at a personal level is just… ![“The only thing I have going on at a personal level is just the way I knew I was gay and I knew what that meant inside me, but the gender aspect of who I am came later.” quote by Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e69/amy-ray-14697_aspect_the-only-thing-i-have-going-on-at-a-pers_2452043.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e69/amy-ray-14697_aspect_the-only-thing-i-have-going-on-at-a-pers_2452043.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e69/amy-ray-14697_aspect_the-only-thing-i-have-going-on-at-a-pers_2452043.png) > “The only thing I have going on at a personal level is just the way I knew I was gay and I knew what that meant inside me, but the gender aspect of who I am came later.” [Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sexual identity precedes gender identity; gender understanding develops later. **In simple terms:** Sexual identity comes first. Key Takeaway Recognize evolving self-awareness. Themes identity gender sexuality Mood introspective empowering Type personal educational When to use this quote - personal storytelling - activism - education Key Concepts self-discovery gender development Questions to Reflect On - How did your early self-awareness shape your later gender identity? - What role does community play in gender discovery? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex identity journeys. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Gender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Who i am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who-i-am/) ## Related quotes > [I knew that I was gay, I knew it. I just couldn't see myself as a gay woman, even though that's where my heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-de-rossi/i-knew-that-i-was-gay-i-knew-it-i-just-couldn-t-see-myself-as-a-gay/) [Portia de Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-de-rossi/) > [I always knew I was gay. I always knew that somehow it would work out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-mercer/i-always-knew-i-was-gay-i-always-knew-that-somehow-it-would-work-out/) [Rick Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-mercer/) > [In professions where the criteria of professionalism, expertise, good manners and ethics apply, the gender aspect, i.e., whether a person is a man or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-grybauskaite/in-professions-where-the-criteria-of-professionalism-expertise-good/) [Dalia Grybauskaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-grybauskaite/) > [I can single handedly dispel any ideas that sexuality is acquired. Trust me, you're born with it. My brother is gay, and we knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-levine/i-can-single-handedly-dispel-any-ideas-that-sexuality-is-acquired-2/) [Adam Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-levine/) > [“Nathan just didn't seem interested in having to prove he was a man. To some guys, that could mean he must be gay. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-hartwell/nathan-just-didn-t-seem-interested-in-having-to-prove-he-was-a-man-to/) [Luke Hartwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-hartwell/) > [I can single-handedly dispel any ideas that sexuality is acquired. Trust me, youre born with it. My brother is gay, and we knew when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-levine/i-can-single-handedly-dispel-any-ideas-that-sexuality-is-acquired/) [Adam Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-levine/) > [Before I came out, the thought of someone calling me gay, even when I knew very well that I was, was petrifying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troye-sivan/before-i-came-out-the-thought-of-someone-calling-me-gay-even-when-i/) [Troye Sivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troye-sivan/) > [I was never honest. My father died, and I had never said to him, 'I'm gay.' I knew what I was, but I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galliano/i-was-never-honest-my-father-died-and-i-had-never-said-to-him-i-m-gay/) [John Galliano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galliano/) > [My professional life, in a strange way, has always been going up, up, up, while my personal life was just the complete opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginger-zee/my-professional-life-in-a-strange-way-has-always-been-going-up-up-up/) [Ginger Zee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginger-zee/) > [I'm not going into personal details of meetings I have with anybody, be it John Howard or President Bush or President Putin or President…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-downer/i-m-not-going-into-personal-details-of-meetings-i-have-with-anybody/) [Alexander Downer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-downer/) > [I'm just writing songs to process what's going on, whether in my personal life or in my perception of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-rodrigo/i-m-just-writing-songs-to-process-what-s-going-on-whether-in-my/) [Olivia Rodrigo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-rodrigo/) > [For a lot of artists in the entertainment industry, we can't become too jaded with what's going on with our personal lives and still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordae/for-a-lot-of-artists-in-the-entertainment-industry-we-can-t-become/) [Cordae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordae/) > [I've been going through some personal things that have stirred up a lot of old wounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradford-cox/i-ve-been-going-through-some-personal-things-that-have-stirred-up-a/) [Bradford Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradford-cox/) > [I don't want anyone to be put off going into politics - particularly women - if they feel that they're going to get personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-kendall/i-don-t-want-anyone-to-be-put-off-going-into-politics-particularly/) [Liz Kendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-kendall/) > [Maybe I am skipping over the city and going from very personal things to the world, from internal experience to giant, far-away-from-space experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-spektor/maybe-i-am-skipping-over-the-city-and-going-from-very-personal-things/) [Regina Spektor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-spektor/) ## More by Amy Ray > [At some point I was hanging around with the Butchies - a band I ended up playing with a lot - and it just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/at-some-point-i-was-hanging-around-with-the-butchies-a-band-i-ended/) [Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) > [But the reality is that we are a folk band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/but-the-reality-is-that-we-are-a-folk-band/) [Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) > [When I do solo stuff, when I do anything involving music, it's very collaborative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/when-i-do-solo-stuff-when-i-do-anything-involving-music-it-s-very/) [Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) > [I live in the rural area of North Georgia, so for me, those are these best days. It has little to do with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/i-live-in-the-rural-area-of-north-georgia-so-for-me-those-are-these/) [Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) > [I think art is definitely a great thing, and looked at as a way to open people up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/i-think-art-is-definitely-a-great-thing-and-looked-at-as-a-way-to/) [Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) > [When people say, 'Nothing's coming to me,' they usually don't like what's coming to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/when-people-say-nothing-s-coming-to-me-they-usually-don-t-like-what-s/) [Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) > [I sit down and draw from my lyric book. I sit down and start looking through it and see if there is anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/i-sit-down-and-draw-from-my-lyric-book-i-sit-down-and-start-looking/) [Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) > [It's all right if things don't change today. We're gonna keep doing what we do. The world can either catch up or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/it-s-all-right-if-things-don-t-change-today-we-re-gonna-keep-doing/) [Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) > [The best days I have are usually days where I'm out in the woods and something happens, like I see an amazing animal like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/the-best-days-i-have-are-usually-days-where-i-m-out-in-the-woods-and/) [Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) > [I feel like there are a lot of people doing a lot of hard work. I think it's too early to judge, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/i-feel-like-there-are-a-lot-of-people-doing-a-lot-of-hard-work-i/) [Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) > [Majoring in religion, listening to TV evangelists interpret the scriptures and dictate my offerings-I found my God inside myself-in every moment and piece of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/majoring-in-religion-listening-to-tv-evangelists-interpret-the/) [Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) > [Yeah, we appreciate our women followng...and I love women. I mean, I just really love women. I love men, too, but you know it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/yeah-we-appreciate-our-women-followng-and-i-love-women-i-mean-i-just/) [Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) > [Maybe our gender is one thing and our sexuality is another. And that's a cool thing I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/maybe-our-gender-is-one-thing-and-our-sexuality-is-another-and-that-s/) [Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) > [...and when I am negative, I will be negative only for as long as I have to be, until I can understand it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/and-when-i-am-negative-i-will-be-negative-only-for-as-long-as-i-have/) [Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) > [I mean, I really, really love playing solo. Definitely, it's like a labor of love, it's not a huge career. It's not that successful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/i-mean-i-really-really-love-playing-solo-definitely-it-s-like-a-labor/) [Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) [Explore all 45 Amy Ray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) ## More Aspect quotes > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It is according to the shapes that I lay the plans for victory, but the multitude does not comprehend this. Although everyone can see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-according-to-the-shapes-that-i-lay-the-plans-for-victory-but/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [I believe that simple, consistent shifts in our thinking and actions can lead to the miraculous in all aspects of our daily lives, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/i-believe-that-simple-consistent-shifts-in-our-thinking-and-actions/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [There is so much temptation to hold on to my career even more now. To try to micromanage and dictate every little aspect. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-lin/there-is-so-much-temptation-to-hold-on-to-my-career-even-more-now-to/) [Jeremy Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-lin/) > [I do miss the social aspect of sitting in a pub with a pint but you know what when I get down to it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/i-do-miss-the-social-aspect-of-sitting-in-a-pub-with-a-pint-but-you/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) > [Some say that you should not want money at all because the desire for money is materialistic and not Spiritual. But we want you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/some-say-that-you-should-not-want-money-at-all-because-the-desire-for/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I would call myself a Gnostic. Which means, I'm interested in pursuing and understanding the spiritual nature of things. A Gnostic is somebody seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-would-call-myself-a-gnostic-which-means-i-m-interested-in-pursuing/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [One can be a great artist without being a great technician. There have been many famous ballet stars who did not have the ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-bujones/one-can-be-a-great-artist-without-being-a-great-technician-there-have/) Fernando Bujones > [I love fall because I love the whole cuddling aspect of it, and a sweater dress has that vibe of I'm going to hunker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-chastain/i-love-fall-because-i-love-the-whole-cuddling-aspect-of-it-and-a/) [Jessica Chastain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-chastain/) > [The socially redeeming aspect of golf lies in the vast number of lawyers and bankers and managers who play it, and when you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/the-socially-redeeming-aspect-of-golf-lies-in-the-vast-number-of/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [I didnt like the Survivor shows because of the mean-spirited aspect, and women certainly were part of whatever conflict they would create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-lawrence/i-didnt-like-the-survivor-shows-because-of-the-mean-spirited-aspect/) [Sharon Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-lawrence/) > [MAC allowed me to have complete freedom on the collaborations—from the shades, the look-and-feel, to the campaign visuals. I have to admit that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-treacy/mac-allowed-me-to-have-complete-freedom-on-the-collaborations-from/) [Philip Treacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-treacy/) > [I mean family is more important than anything in life. Family is important than my crew, D-Block, my rap career anything... It's the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/styles-p/i-mean-family-is-more-important-than-anything-in-life-family-is/) [Styles P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/styles-p/) > [Wealth is measured by the level of experience in all aspects of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/wealth-is-measured-by-the-level-of-experience-in-all-aspects-of-life/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) Browse all 3,171 Aspect quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only thing I have going on at a personal level is just the way I knew I was gay and I knew what that meant inside me, but the gender aspect of who I am came later.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Amy Ray" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/the-only-thing-i-have-going-on-at-a-personal-level-is-just-the-way-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aspect" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/the-only-thing-i-have-going-on-at-a-personal-level-is-just-the-way-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e69/amy-ray-14697_aspect_the-only-thing-i-have-going-on-at-a-pers_2452043.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e69/amy-ray-14697_aspect_the-only-thing-i-have-going-on-at-a-pers_2452043.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e69/amy-ray-14697_aspect_the-only-thing-i-have-going-on-at-a-pers_2452043.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only thing I have going on at a personal level is just the way I knew I was gay and I knew what that…” — Amy Ray", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Amy Ray", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only thing I have going...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/the-only-thing-i-have-going-on-at-a-personal-level-is-just-the-way-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/the-only-thing-i-have-going-on-at-a-personal-level-is-just-the-way-i/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```