--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And now, the worst had happened. Gay…" description: "\"“And now, the worst had happened. Gay. Boyfriends. Caught. Perverts. Deviants. Sinners.”\" — Charles Benedict" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63b/charles-benedict-3426_happened-gay_and-now-the-worst-had-happened-gay-boyfr_615680.jpg" --- # And now, the worst had happened. Gay. Boyfriends. Caught… ![“And now, the worst had happened. Gay. Boyfriends. Caught. Perverts. Deviants. Sinners.” quote by Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63b/charles-benedict-3426_happened-gay_and-now-the-worst-had-happened-gay-boyfr_615680.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63b/charles-benedict-3426_happened-gay_and-now-the-worst-had-happened-gay-boyfr_615680.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63b/charles-benedict-3426_happened-gay_and-now-the-worst-had-happened-gay-boyfr_615680.jpg) > ““And now, the worst had happened. Gay. Boyfriends. Caught. Perverts. Deviants. Sinners.”” [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A cascade of stigmatizing labels is applied to a group, highlighting societal prejudice and moral panic. **In simple terms:** Labels are used to shame and marginalize. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge harmful stereotypes. Themes prejudice stigma identity social judgment morality Mood critical empathetic Type social political When to use this quote - media coverage - public policy - community response - personal identity - legal rights Key Concepts othering moral panic discrimination language Questions to Reflect On - How do labels affect self‑perception? - What can reduce stigma in society? A Different Perspective Labels can reinforce oppression and ignore individual humanity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boyfriends Caught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boyfriends-caught-4992147/) [Caught Perverts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caught-perverts-4992146/) [Happened Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened-gay-272706/) [Perverts Deviants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perverts-deviants-4992148/) [Worst Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst-happened-327961/) ## Related quotes > [Nobody knew if the pilot would even get picked up because it had two gay lead characters, which has never happened before. And now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mullally/nobody-knew-if-the-pilot-would-even-get-picked-up-because-it-had-two/) [Megan Mullally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mullally/) > [Isn't that sort of what happened with gay marriage? Right before gay marriage was legalized, everybody was just losing their minds and, like, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mullally/isn-t-that-sort-of-what-happened-with-gay-marriage-right-before-gay/) [Megan Mullally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mullally/) > [When I was 15, all my friends came out. I was really trying to be like them, and I finally had to tell my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyndi-lauper/when-i-was-15-all-my-friends-came-out-i-was-really-trying-to-be-like/) [Cyndi Lauper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyndi-lauper/) > [Do not despair or think yourself a failed or hapless parent just because you happened to have a gay son or daughter. Avoid turning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/do-not-despair-or-think-yourself-a-failed-or-hapless-parent-just/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [ If one of my daughters happened to be \[gay\], of course I would love them and I would accept them. That's what we're taught… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/if-one-of-my-daughters-happened-to-be-gay-of-course-i-would-love-them/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [“I know this because the worst has happened. The thing I can’t live with… has happened. And for all our back and forth— and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-michael-bendis/i-know-this-because-the-worst-has-happened-the-thing-i-can-t-live/) [Brian Michael Bendis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-michael-bendis/) > [“If you let something scare you to death, then the worst has happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-e-athkins/if-you-let-something-scare-you-to-death-then-the-worst-has-happened/) [D.E. Athkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-e-athkins/) > [“Even in Sri Lanka, the worst only happened in my imagination, I'd say, and this is so because we live on a planet where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tania-aebi/even-in-sri-lanka-the-worst-only-happened-in-my-imagination-i-d-say/) [Tania Aebi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tania-aebi/) > [“For there was once a time when we expected the worst. But then the worst happened, did it not? And so we will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/for-there-was-once-a-time-when-we-expected-the-worst-but-then-the/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“Loving you is the best of the worst that’s ever happened to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardo-arjona/loving-you-is-the-best-of-the-worst-that-s-ever-happened-to-me/) [Ricardo Arjona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricardo-arjona/) > [The worst has happened ... it's rather liberating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-rendell/the-worst-has-happened-it-s-rather-liberating/) [Ruth Rendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-rendell/) > [We are changed souls; we don't look at things the same way anymore. For there was a time when we expected the worst. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/we-are-changed-souls-we-don-t-look-at-things-the-same-way-anymore-for/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [From everything I wanted us to be, the worst happened: we turned out longing. Honestly? I love you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/from-everything-i-wanted-us-to-be-the-worst-happened-we-turned-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Sometimes there is no comfort, only the knowledge that the worst has happened”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-gardner/sometimes-there-is-no-comfort-only-the-knowledge-that-the-worst-has/) [Ashley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-gardner/) > [The worst has happened. The best is next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-george/the-worst-has-happened-the-best-is-next/) [Paul George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-george/) ## More by Charles Benedict > [“Am I really going to hell for being gay?” Or, “I think I was born a woman in a man’s body. Does that make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/am-i-really-going-to-hell-for-being-gay-or-i-think-i-was-born-a-woman/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“When we reconnected, he was there to guide me as I navigated the uncharted waters of dating”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/when-we-reconnected-he-was-there-to-guide-me-as-i-navigated-the/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“Clearly, my grandfather had paved the way for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/clearly-my-grandfather-had-paved-the-way-for-me/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“Could I survive in the world as an ex-priest that no one wanted anything to do with?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/could-i-survive-in-the-world-as-an-ex-priest-that-no-one-wanted/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“As a teenager, his teachers recognized his academic prowess and brilliant intelligence. 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This is when I said the words in my head and said them out loud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/i-found-the-courage-to-admit-i-was-gay-this-is-when-i-said-the-words/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“I finally left Ministry in mid-March 2009.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/i-finally-left-ministry-in-mid-march-2009/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“They were astute enough to know that I needed someone to share my life with…and they were right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/they-were-astute-enough-to-know-that-i-needed-someone-to-share-my/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“The particular rectory I moved in to was attached to the church. This was arguably one of the worst setups possible because living above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/the-particular-rectory-i-moved-in-to-was-attached-to-the-church-this/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“We did, however, deliver and expel many homosexual and sodomitic demons from my body, mind, heart, mouth, soul, penis, and anus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/we-did-however-deliver-and-expel-many-homosexual-and-sodomitic-demons/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“Every so often, Zach would say things like, “I like you,” or, “We think a lot alike.” I naively agreed with him because even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/every-so-often-zach-would-say-things-like-i-like-you-or-we-think-a/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“From that moment on, I never had another heated argument or conversation about my sexuality because my mother could not understand how anyone could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/from-that-moment-on-i-never-had-another-heated-argument-or/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“Though I wholeheartedly supported celibacy at the start of my seminary career, my opinion changed as I made my way toward and through priesthood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/though-i-wholeheartedly-supported-celibacy-at-the-start-of-my/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“I am not meant to be alone in life, and that the type of committed, indissoluble partnership in which I am engaged presently is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/i-am-not-meant-to-be-alone-in-life-and-that-the-type-of-committed/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) [Explore all 131 Charles Benedict quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) ## More Happened Gay quotes > [Isn't that sort of what happened with gay marriage? Right before gay marriage was legalized, everybody was just losing their minds and, like, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mullally/isn-t-that-sort-of-what-happened-with-gay-marriage-right-before-gay/) [Megan Mullally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mullally/) > [When I was 15, all my friends came out. I was really trying to be like them, and I finally had to tell my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyndi-lauper/when-i-was-15-all-my-friends-came-out-i-was-really-trying-to-be-like/) [Cyndi Lauper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyndi-lauper/) > [Do not despair or think yourself a failed or hapless parent just because you happened to have a gay son or daughter. Avoid turning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/do-not-despair-or-think-yourself-a-failed-or-hapless-parent-just/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [ If one of my daughters happened to be \[gay\], of course I would love them and I would accept them. That's what we're taught… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/if-one-of-my-daughters-happened-to-be-gay-of-course-i-would-love-them/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [Nobody knew if the pilot would even get picked up because it had two gay lead characters, which has never happened before. And now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mullally/nobody-knew-if-the-pilot-would-even-get-picked-up-because-it-had-two/) [Megan Mullally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mullally/) [Browse all 6 Happened Gay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened-gay-272706/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And now, the worst had happened. Gay. Boyfriends. Caught. Perverts. Deviants. 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