--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I first started talking about gay…" description: "\"When I first started talking about gay marriage, most people in the gay community looked at me as if I was insane or possibly a fascist reactionary.\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/andrew-sullivan-4198_community_when-i-first-started-talking-about-gay-m_1926695.png" --- # When I first started talking about gay marriage, most… ![“When I first started talking about gay marriage, most people in the gay community looked at me as if I was insane or possibly a fascist reactionary.” quote by Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/andrew-sullivan-4198_community_when-i-first-started-talking-about-gay-m_1926695.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/andrew-sullivan-4198_community_when-i-first-started-talking-about-gay-m_1926695.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/andrew-sullivan-4198_community_when-i-first-started-talking-about-gay-m_1926695.png) > “When I first started talking about gay marriage, most people in the gay community looked at me as if I was insane or possibly a fascist reactionary.” [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Discussing gay marriage early faced backlash, highlighting societal resistance to change. **In simple terms:** Early gay marriage advocacy met strong opposition. Key Takeaway Expect resistance when challenging norms. Themes activism LGBTQ+ public discourse Mood defiant hopeful Type persuasive controversial When to use this quote - Advocacy campaigns - public speaking - policy debates Key Concepts Social change identity politics media framing Questions to Reflect On - What strategies reduce backlash? - How to engage skeptics constructively? A Different Perspective Opposition can stem from misinformation, not just ideology. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Fascists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascists/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Gay community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay-community/) [Gay marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay-marriage/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [I love being around cool, fun guys, so I've always enjoyed talking to gay men. Maybe it's because I'm an inherent flirt, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-walton/i-love-being-around-cool-fun-guys-so-i-ve-always-enjoyed-talking-to/) [David Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-walton/) > [We have the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church talking about how gay marriage is a sign of the apocalypse, or Russian TV talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/we-have-the-patriarch-of-the-russian-orthodox-church-talking-about/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [“Seriously Gabrielle? Look who you’re talking to—I’m a gay fairy. I’m the world’s biggest cliché.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-thalassa/seriously-gabrielle-look-who-you-re-talking-to-i-m-a-gay-fairy-i-m/) [Laura Thalassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-thalassa/) > [Sometimes there's kind of an "ick" factor around talking about anything about gay sexuality, for certain readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirby-dick/sometimes-there-s-kind-of-an-ick-factor-around-talking-about-anything/) [Kirby Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirby-dick/) > [I'm sorry, was that homophobic? No--I think it was, 'cause I hear that a lot. Dave, What?, You're talking about being gay. You probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-attell/i-m-sorry-was-that-homophobic-no-i-think-it-was-cause-i-hear-that-a/) [Dave Attell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-attell/) > [We're into a world where we're not talking about gay or straight or bisexual any more so much as we're talking about being transgender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-fox/we-re-into-a-world-where-we-re-not-talking-about-gay-or-straight-or/) [Freddie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-fox/) > [When I got successful and people started talking about me, I didn't want anyone thinking I thought I was a 'big time Charlie.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-hatton/when-i-got-successful-and-people-started-talking-about-me-i-didn-t/) [Ricky Hatton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-hatton/) > [“A dog. What was it doing, leaping about like that, racing around this strange guy’s feet? Wagging its tail. Barking. The man started talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/a-dog-what-was-it-doing-leaping-about-like-that-racing-around-this/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [No matter how much time passes, you always remember how you and the person you truly care about started talking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-how-much-time-passes-you-always-remember-how-you-and-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I was child, I never spoke. Teacher used to write remarks on my note book. My mom sent me to a trainer. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boman-irani/when-i-was-child-i-never-spoke-teacher-used-to-write-remarks-on-my/) [Boman Irani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boman-irani/) > [Early on when I started talking about my weight, it was self-deprecating; everything was a joke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-iglesias/early-on-when-i-started-talking-about-my-weight-it-was-self/) [Gabriel Iglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-iglesias/) > [I accidentally met Don Callis in Japan. I was at New Japan and I was with mutual friends, and I met Don on accident…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-bordeaux/i-accidentally-met-don-callis-in-japan-i-was-at-new-japan-and-i-was/) [Scarlett Bordeaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-bordeaux/) > [A long time ago I started talking into a balloon so I could feel myself talking, to practice judging volume, and compare it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-harvey/a-long-time-ago-i-started-talking-into-a-balloon-so-i-could-feel/) [Mandy Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-harvey/) > [I still remember how we started talking, I trusted you with things I would have never trusted anyone else with, and then you left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/i-still-remember-how-we-started-talking-i-trusted-you-with-things-i/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [“I think she was in a book club for a while, but she quit when they stopped talking about the books and started talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-davis/i-think-she-was-in-a-book-club-for-a-while-but-she-quit-when-they/) [Kathryn Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-davis/) ## More by Andrew Sullivan > [True belief is not about blind submission. It is about open-eyed acceptance, and acceptance requires persistent distance from the truth, and that distance is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/true-belief-is-not-about-blind-submission-it-is-about-open-eyed/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [I'm gay. I always have been and I always will be, and I'm happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/i-m-gay-i-always-have-been-and-i-always-will-be-and-i-m-happy/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [What modernity requires is not that you cease living according to your faith, but that you accept that others may differ and that therefore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/what-modernity-requires-is-not-that-you-cease-living-according-to/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [Although I never publicly defended promiscuity, I never publicly attacked it. I attempted to avoid the subject, in part because I felt, and often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/although-i-never-publicly-defended-promiscuity-i-never-publicly/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [The day of reckoning is not just coming for Saddam Hussein. It's coming for the anti-war movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/the-day-of-reckoning-is-not-just-coming-for-saddam-hussein-it-s/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [For me, friendship has always been the most accessible of relationships - certainly far more so than romantic love. Friendship, I learned, provided a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/for-me-friendship-has-always-been-the-most-accessible-of/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [The first person I came out to was God. And the first conversation I ever had with anybody was in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/the-first-person-i-came-out-to-was-god-and-the-first-conversation-i/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [If religion is about truth, why is it so afraid of error?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/if-religion-is-about-truth-why-is-it-so-afraid-of-error/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [“Even if it's deep unhappiness, it's your unhappiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/even-if-it-s-deep-unhappiness-it-s-your-unhappiness/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [Monsters remain human beings. In fact, to reduce them to a subhuman level is to exonerate them of their acts of terrorism and mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/monsters-remain-human-beings-in-fact-to-reduce-them-to-a-subhuman/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [Well, in the past, the size of government was one of the more fundamental dividing lines between Right and Left. The Right was supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/well-in-the-past-the-size-of-government-was-one-of-the-more/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [I've never been a partisan, I've never been a Republican, I've never been a Democrat, ever, which is why I was very frustrated being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/i-ve-never-been-a-partisan-i-ve-never-been-a-republican-i-ve-never/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [I think essentially corrupting institutions in Washington are turning conservatism into something that is really very creepy, but also emotionally and psychically powerful for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/i-think-essentially-corrupting-institutions-in-washington-are-turning/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [I believe that there are moments in sex that are so awesome that they actually reflect God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/i-believe-that-there-are-moments-in-sex-that-are-so-awesome-that-they/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [Every generation is born into, for the most part, a heterosexual family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/every-generation-is-born-into-for-the-most-part-a-heterosexual-family/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) [Explore all 114 Andrew Sullivan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) ## More Community quotes > [Race is the idea that a human being is more superior than another human being, race in society grants illusional rights to mistreat each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/race-is-the-idea-that-a-human-being-is-more-superior-than-another/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [The strains and stresses suffered by the individual in society are grounded in the normal functioning of that society (and of the individual!) rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-strains-and-stresses-suffered-by-the-individual-in-society-are/) [Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/) > [Hackney gets a bit of a bad rap, but it's the only place I've ever lived that felt like a community. I know my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-horgan/hackney-gets-a-bit-of-a-bad-rap-but-it-s-the-only-place-i-ve-ever/) [Sharon Horgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-horgan/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [It rolls off my back. Ridicule doesn't mean anything - even from people you're supposed to wear knee pads around, like the scientific community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-schultz/it-rolls-off-my-back-ridicule-doesn-t-mean-anything-even-from-people/) [Dwight Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-schultz/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/) Sheila Kamerman > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [Perhaps the greatest and least visible form of impoverishment caused by the Corporate State is the destruction of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/perhaps-the-greatest-and-least-visible-form-of-impoverishment-caused/) [Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) [Browse all 13,840 Community quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I first started talking about gay marriage, most people in the gay community looked at me as if I was insane or possibly a fascist reactionary.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrew Sullivan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/when-i-first-started-talking-about-gay-marriage-most-people-in-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Community" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/when-i-first-started-talking-about-gay-marriage-most-people-in-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/andrew-sullivan-4198_community_when-i-first-started-talking-about-gay-m_1926695.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/andrew-sullivan-4198_community_when-i-first-started-talking-about-gay-m_1926695.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/andrew-sullivan-4198_community_when-i-first-started-talking-about-gay-m_1926695.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I first started talking about gay marriage, most people in the gay community looked at me as if I was…” — Andrew Sullivan", "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": "Andrew Sullivan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I first started talking about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/when-i-first-started-talking-about-gay-marriage-most-people-in-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/when-i-first-started-talking-about-gay-marriage-most-people-in-the/#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 } } ] } ```