--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was so beat down as a young person…" description: "\"I was so beat down as a young person - being black, being gay, being unable to assimilate because I could never, ever pull off being butch.\" — Billy Po..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/billy-porter-14763_assimilate_i-was-so-beat-down-as-a-young-person-bei_2434177.jpg" --- # I was so beat down as a young person - being black, being… ![“I was so beat down as a young person - being black, being gay, being unable to assimilate because I could never, ever pull off being butch.” quote by Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/billy-porter-14763_assimilate_i-was-so-beat-down-as-a-young-person-bei_2434177.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/billy-porter-14763_assimilate_i-was-so-beat-down-as-a-young-person-bei_2434177.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/billy-porter-14763_assimilate_i-was-so-beat-down-as-a-young-person-bei_2434177.jpg) > “I was so beat down as a young person - being black, being gay, being unable to assimilate because I could never, ever pull off being butch.” [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Feeling marginalized due to intersecting identities creates deep emotional strain and a sense of not fitting in. **In simple terms:** Being black, gay, and not fitting gender norms feels isolating. Key Takeaway Seek supportive communities that affirm all aspects of identity. Themes identity intersectionality resilience acceptance Mood reflective empathetic Type personal social When to use this quote - college campus - workplace - family gatherings - online forums Key Concepts social stigma self‑esteem mental health Questions to Reflect On - How can allies better support intersecting identities? - What spaces feel most affirming? A Different Perspective Support may be limited in hostile environments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Young person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-person/) ## Related quotes > [I want to keep changing the world. It's possible. The black gay lead is ready. It's time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/i-want-to-keep-changing-the-world-it-s-possible-the-black-gay-lead-is/) [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) > [It wouldn't have mattered to my mother if I married a black, was gay, lived in a commune or wore a dress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-weinberg/it-wouldn-t-have-mattered-to-my-mother-if-i-married-a-black-was-gay/) [George Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weinberg/) > [Southern black gay and bi men are suffering from a self-esteem issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/southern-black-gay-and-bi-men-are-suffering-from-a-self-esteem-issue/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) > [The perspective that I come from when I sing, when I perform, is of who I am as a black gay man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mnek/the-perspective-that-i-come-from-when-i-sing-when-i-perform-is-of-who/) [MNEK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mnek/) > [I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-collins/i-m-a-34-year-old-nba-center-i-m-black-and-i-m-gay/) [Jason Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-collins/) > [It's better to be black than gay because when you're black you don't have to tell your mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-better-to-be-black-than-gay-because-when-you-re-black-you-don-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I didn't always see someone that I could relate to, that would tell me that being Black and gay is okay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mnek/i-didn-t-always-see-someone-that-i-could-relate-to-that-would-tell-me/) [MNEK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mnek/) > [The black gay experience isn't one that is often told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ncuti-gatwa/the-black-gay-experience-isn-t-one-that-is-often-told/) [Ncuti Gatwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ncuti-gatwa/) > [I am a Black, gay, immigrant woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karine-jean-pierre/i-am-a-black-gay-immigrant-woman/) [Karine Jean-Pierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karine-jean-pierre/) > [I'm black. I'm gay. I'm culturally Christian. I am a walking target on so many levels, and it is horrifying and a cross that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tituss-burgess/i-m-black-i-m-gay-i-m-culturally-christian-i-am-a-walking-target-on/) [Tituss Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tituss-burgess/) > [I'm a black, gay man, and I should be able to live in a world where I'm able to live in the complexity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deray-mckesson/i-m-a-black-gay-man-and-i-should-be-able-to-live-in-a-world-where-i-m/) [DeRay Mckesson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deray-mckesson/) > [I'm black and I'm gay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-collins/i-m-black-and-i-m-gay/) [Jason Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-collins/) > [America wasn't interested in the roots of house music because it was too black, it was too gay, it was all these things, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-buxton/america-wasn-t-interested-in-the-roots-of-house-music-because-it-was/) Felix Buxton > [From 1968 on, I was pretty much the black, gay SF writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/from-1968-on-i-was-pretty-much-the-black-gay-sf-writer/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [Black gay activists should try to build coalitions of people for the elimination of all injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayard-rustin/black-gay-activists-should-try-to-build-coalitions-of-people-for-the/) [Bayard Rustin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayard-rustin/) ## More by Billy Porter > [I'm not a person who believes that Broadway is the only place. I think there's lots of work that goes on outside of Broadway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/i-m-not-a-person-who-believes-that-broadway-is-the-only-place-i-think/) [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) > [I had something nobody else could do - I sang in a way that separated me - and, when you're trying to get noticed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/i-had-something-nobody-else-could-do-i-sang-in-a-way-that-separated/) [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) > [I always said if I played a drag queen, I'd want to create a template with the realness they talk about in 'Paris Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/i-always-said-if-i-played-a-drag-queen-i-d-want-to-create-a-template/) [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) > [My truth is I am gay and out, and if I can't do that in my music, then I don't need it. Fortunately, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/my-truth-is-i-am-gay-and-out-and-if-i-can-t-do-that-in-my-music-then/) [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) > [I was fine being in the closet at the beginning of my career because that's what you were supposed to be - until I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/i-was-fine-being-in-the-closet-at-the-beginning-of-my-career-because/) [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) > [I'm in love with what a high heel does to a leg: how it makes a woman or a man feel. It's empowering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/i-m-in-love-with-what-a-high-heel-does-to-a-leg-how-it-makes-a-woman/) [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) > [I love the community of theater. There is something about the camaraderie: People who show up eight times a week to do a show.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/i-love-the-community-of-theater-there-is-something-about-the/) [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) > [For years I tried to put myself in a box, and it frustrated me, so I had to let go and let the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/for-years-i-tried-to-put-myself-in-a-box-and-it-frustrated-me-so-i/) [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) > [Just by the nature of making the choice to be true to who I am, I'm political. Sometimes that's all you need to do:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/just-by-the-nature-of-making-the-choice-to-be-true-to-who-i-am-i-m/) [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) > [People don't see me in traditional roles; I'm not getting cast in the revival of 'Company' as Bobby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/people-don-t-see-me-in-traditional-roles-i-m-not-getting-cast-in-the/) [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) > [You can't ever put yourself in a position where someone is requiring you to inhabit somebody else's energy. You have to own your thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/you-can-t-ever-put-yourself-in-a-position-where-someone-is-requiring/) [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) > [I want to do work that means something to me so that when I go to work at the theater eight times a week,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/i-want-to-do-work-that-means-something-to-me-so-that-when-i-go-to/) [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) > [When you're at the beginning of your career, there are a lot of, "I don't care about this," jobs that you take because it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/when-you-re-at-the-beginning-of-your-career-there-are-a-lot-of-i-don/) [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) > [For me, life is about being positive and hopeful, choosing to be joyful, choosing to be encouraging, choosing to be empowering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/for-me-life-is-about-being-positive-and-hopeful-choosing-to-be-joyful/) [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) > [Broadway! Broad-way! I don't aspire to the middle. I aspire to the tip-tip-top of it all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/broadway-broad-way-i-don-t-aspire-to-the-middle-i-aspire-to-the-tip/) [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) [Explore all 45 Billy Porter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) ## More Assimilate quotes > [First, I was opposed to gay marriage because it seemed like one more way that gays were wanting to assimilate. When I realized the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/first-i-was-opposed-to-gay-marriage-because-it-seemed-like-one-more/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [“It's a fact— everyone is ignorant in some way or another. Ignorance is our deepest secret. And it is one of the scariest things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/it-s-a-fact-everyone-is-ignorant-in-some-way-or-another-ignorance-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [I've deliberately studied many things that I know, going in, I won't be able to assimilate. I read Plato, St. Thomas, the mystics, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-ameche/i-ve-deliberately-studied-many-things-that-i-know-going-in-i-won-t-be/) [Don Ameche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-ameche/) > [“The process of trying to assimilate into an existing category in many ways runs counter to efforts to produce radical or revolutionary results.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-y-davis/the-process-of-trying-to-assimilate-into-an-existing-category-in-many/) [Angela Y. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-y-davis/) > [“If you aren't destroying your enemies, it's because you have been conquered and assimilated, you do not even have an idea of who your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/if-you-aren-t-destroying-your-enemies-it-s-because-you-have-been/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [Assimilate all you can from tradition and then say things in your own way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-french-sloan/assimilate-all-you-can-from-tradition-and-then-say-things-in-your-own/) [John French Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-french-sloan/) > [Assimilate this! -Worf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/star-trek/assimilate-this-worf/) Star Trek > [I tried to assimilate and mix myself in with everybody, but I still stood out because of my mannerisms, the way I spoke, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-goreski/i-tried-to-assimilate-and-mix-myself-in-with-everybody-but-i-still/) [Brad Goreski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-goreski/) > [Especially for young POC, when we enter majority-white spaces, we feel the need to assimilate, to blend in, to prove ourselves. I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/especially-for-young-poc-when-we-enter-majority-white-spaces-we-feel/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [I was far too embarrassed to share the experience of Indian food at school. As a kid, you're desperate to fit in, to assimilate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjeev-bhaskar/i-was-far-too-embarrassed-to-share-the-experience-of-indian-food-at/) [Sanjeev Bhaskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjeev-bhaskar/) > [If you continue to assimilate the values of others: Then you can not for the ever-inspiring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/if-you-continue-to-assimilate-the-values-of-others-then-you-can-not/) Mak\_786 > [Immigrants who voluntarily come to a country have already made a decision to assimilate to one degree or another. Probably not completely, but they've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nguyen-viet-thang/immigrants-who-voluntarily-come-to-a-country-have-already-made-a/) [Nguyen Viet Thang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nguyen-viet-thang/) > [“An ordinary teacher teaches how to accumulate information. A good teacher teaches how to assimilate information. A great teacher teaches how to stand up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-ray/an-ordinary-teacher-teaches-how-to-accumulate-information-a-good/) [Amit Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-ray/) > [When Superman was originally created, by Siegel and Shuster, they were two Jewish immigrants that were desperately trying to assimilate into America. They were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/when-superman-was-originally-created-by-siegel-and-shuster-they-were/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [Our institutions have a potent digestion, and may in time convert and assimilate to good all elements thrown in, however originally alien.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/our-institutions-have-a-potent-digestion-and-may-in-time-convert-and/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) Browse all 40 Assimilate quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was so beat down as a young person - being black, being gay, being unable to assimilate because I could never, ever pull off being butch.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Billy Porter" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/i-was-so-beat-down-as-a-young-person-being-black-being-gay-being/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assimilate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/i-was-so-beat-down-as-a-young-person-being-black-being-gay-being/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/billy-porter-14763_assimilate_i-was-so-beat-down-as-a-young-person-bei_2434177.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/billy-porter-14763_assimilate_i-was-so-beat-down-as-a-young-person-bei_2434177.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/billy-porter-14763_assimilate_i-was-so-beat-down-as-a-young-person-bei_2434177.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was so beat down as a young person - being black, being gay, being unable to assimilate because I could…” — Billy Porter", "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": "Billy Porter", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was so beat down as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/i-was-so-beat-down-as-a-young-person-being-black-being-gay-being/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/i-was-so-beat-down-as-a-young-person-being-black-being-gay-being/#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 } } ] } ```