--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most straight people, and many gay…" description: "\"“Most straight people, and many gay people, especially those who came of age more recently, don’t understand how momentous and difficult coming out was..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/christopher-bram-14723_coming-out_most-straight-people-and-many-gay-people_1909200.jpg" --- # Most straight people, and many gay people, especially… ![“Most straight people, and many gay people, especially those who came of age more recently, don’t understand how momentous and difficult coming out was to men and women of this generation. It seems so obvious now, so banal.” quote by Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/christopher-bram-14723_coming-out_most-straight-people-and-many-gay-people_1909200.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/christopher-bram-14723_coming-out_most-straight-people-and-many-gay-people_1909200.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/christopher-bram-14723_coming-out_most-straight-people-and-many-gay-people_1909200.jpg) > ““Most straight people, and many gay people, especially those who came of age more recently, don’t understand how momentous and difficult coming out was to men and women of this generation. It seems so obvious now, so banal.”” [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects how societal shifts make past struggles seem trivial to newer generations, obscuring the bravery required at the time. **In simple terms:** Past hardships look easy now because society has changed. Key Takeaway Recognize and honor the courage of earlier generations. Themes generational perspective LGBTQ+ history social change empathy Mood reflective empathetic Type historical social commentary When to use this quote - activism - education - intergenerational dialogue - support groups Key Concepts social evolution identity politics cultural memory Questions to Reflect On - How can we keep the history of struggle alive? - What can we do to support those still coming out? A Different Perspective The quote may overlook that some still face severe stigma today. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coming out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-out/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Gay people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay-people/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) ## Related quotes > [Bisexuals are gay people - we're all gay. Some people don't like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyrsten-sinema/bisexuals-are-gay-people-we-re-all-gay-some-people-don-t-like-that/) [Kyrsten Sinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyrsten-sinema/) > [There are funny gay people, and there are funny Indian people, and that's why we watch TV, to laugh. It only makes sense to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-totah/there-are-funny-gay-people-and-there-are-funny-indian-people-and-that/) [Josie Totah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-totah/) > [The ball scene was never really only gay people. I think people have this notion that if there's a man hanging around a gay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mj-rodriguez/the-ball-scene-was-never-really-only-gay-people-i-think-people-have/) [Mj Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mj-rodriguez/) > [I was part of a show called 'Manifest Equality' in Los Angeles in 2010, and I realized there was a disconnect between people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/io-tillett-wright/i-was-part-of-a-show-called-manifest-equality-in-los-angeles-in-2010/) [iO Tillett Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/io-tillett-wright/) > [“And stop calling people gay. I don't even know why that's an insult. There are real gay people in the world, you know, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kahn-gale/and-stop-calling-people-gay-i-don-t-even-know-why-that-s-an-insult/) Eric Kahn Gale > [Straight people say, 'You know you're just gay,' and gay people say, 'You know you're just gay.' There is such a thing as bisexual!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-dick/straight-people-say-you-know-you-re-just-gay-and-gay-people-say-you/) [Andy Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-dick/) > [Gay people, certainly gay people of my generation, at least of a certain echelon - middle-class Americans - have binocular vision. We all are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/gay-people-certainly-gay-people-of-my-generation-at-least-of-a/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [You know my issue isn't whether gay people go to heaven or straight people go to heaven. The point that I'm trying to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-chambers/you-know-my-issue-isn-t-whether-gay-people-go-to-heaven-or-straight/) [Alan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-chambers/) > [I know gay - gay people who aren't married who are better parents than some, you know, straight people I know who are married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/i-know-gay-gay-people-who-aren-t-married-who-are-better-parents-than/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [Seriously I just don't get why straight people are so afraid of the fact that gay people can get married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conchita-wurst/seriously-i-just-don-t-get-why-straight-people-are-so-afraid-of-the/) [Conchita Wurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conchita-wurst/) > [sex has never been private and it never will be. We perform the act in private but we must be public about the connection.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/sex-has-never-been-private-and-it-never-will-be-we-perform-the-act-in/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [After high school, I really learned to love myself. I finally stopped getting bullied by straight people. Then, I pretty much immediately started getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bowen-yang/after-high-school-i-really-learned-to-love-myself-i-finally-stopped/) [Bowen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bowen-yang/) > [There have been amazing performances by straight people playing gay and by gay people playing straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-bailey/there-have-been-amazing-performances-by-straight-people-playing-gay/) [Jonathan Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-bailey/) > [I don't care what straight people do, I don't care what gay people do. I don't care what nobody do. That's they business. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asap-rocky/i-don-t-care-what-straight-people-do-i-don-t-care-what-gay-people-do/) [ASAP Rocky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asap-rocky/) > [I went to my 30th high school reunion, and I could tell who was gay and who was straight because the gay people were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-schulman/i-went-to-my-30th-high-school-reunion-and-i-could-tell-who-was-gay/) [Sarah Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-schulman/) ## More by Christopher Bram > [“A disproportionate number of stories are love stories – and what is homosexuality but a special narrative of love?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/a-disproportionate-number-of-stories-are-love-stories-and-what-is/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“Sociologists say a neighbourhood is perceived as gay if anywhere between 15 to 25 percent of the residents are homosexual.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/sociologists-say-a-neighbourhood-is-perceived-as-gay-if-anywhere/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“In the new style, homosexuals and heterosexuals could be equally unhappy, equally happy, and equally screwed up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/in-the-new-style-homosexuals-and-heterosexuals-could-be-equally/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [Being a Boy Scout saved my life. I was a bookish, introverted kid, shy and withdrawn, unhappy and easily bullied. I was also gay,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/being-a-boy-scout-saved-my-life-i-was-a-bookish-introverted-kid-shy/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“Art is long and life is short.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/art-is-long-and-life-is-short/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“A younger writer, David Leavitt, would later say he envied White for having “such a representative life”. And it’s true: the zeitgeist blew through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/a-younger-writer-david-leavitt-would-later-say-he-envied-white-for/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“Ginsberg was the favourite bohemian poet of straight college boys who wanted to transgress, and of gay college boys who were not yet ready…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/ginsberg-was-the-favourite-bohemian-poet-of-straight-college-boys-who/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“Good prose is solitary work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/good-prose-is-solitary-work/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“Vidal himself joked that at a certain age lawsuits took the place of sex.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/vidal-himself-joked-that-at-a-certain-age-lawsuits-took-the-place-of/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [Stories have the ability to take us inside all kinds of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/stories-have-the-ability-to-take-us-inside-all-kinds-of-life/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“Yeats was straight, but as Auden wrote in ‘In Memory of WB Yeats’: “You were silly like us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/yeats-was-straight-but-as-auden-wrote-in-in-memory-of-wb-yeats-you/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“Short stories are often treated as the poor cousins of novels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/short-stories-are-often-treated-as-the-poor-cousins-of-novels/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“Everybody is Other in Maupin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/everybody-is-other-in-maupin/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“A writer who can’t use his firsthand experience must turn to secondhand experience, which can lead to thirdhand clichés.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/a-writer-who-can-t-use-his-firsthand-experience-must-turn-to/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“If oppression produced saints, we’d want everyone to be oppressed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/if-oppression-produced-saints-we-d-want-everyone-to-be-oppressed/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) [Explore all 45 Christopher Bram quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) ## More Coming out quotes > [I have lived in countries that were coming out of conflict: Ireland, South Africa, the Czech republic. People there are overflowing with energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-have-lived-in-countries-that-were-coming-out-of-conflict-ireland/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [I am glad The Worst Journey is coming out in Penguins: after all it is largely about penguins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apsley-cherry-garrard/i-am-glad-the-worst-journey-is-coming-out-in-penguins-after-all-it-is/) [Apsley Cherry-Garrard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apsley-cherry-garrard/) > [Everything, every part that you approach has to be somehow rooted in yourself. You have to somehow root everything so that it's not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/everything-every-part-that-you-approach-has-to-be-somehow-rooted-in/) [Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/) > [Well, the bottom line is that I'm extremely pleased with 'The Stupids.' I'm pleased that it's coming out, and it should look good. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landis/well-the-bottom-line-is-that-i-m-extremely-pleased-with-the-stupids-i/) [John Landis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landis/) > [The cultural integration of psychedelics won't happen overnight, and the question of young people is perhaps the most difficult involved. The first step is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-doblin/the-cultural-integration-of-psychedelics-won-t-happen-overnight-and/) [Rick Doblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-doblin/) > [“There comes a time in a girl’s life where she finds her heart broken, what matters is not the boy who broke it but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-lee-hunter/there-comes-a-time-in-a-girl-s-life-where-she-finds-her-heart-broken/) Kara Lee Hunter > [The thing that is making jazz healthy today is that people are coming out of other backgrounds - from rock, folk, from ethnic music.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-taylor/the-thing-that-is-making-jazz-healthy-today-is-that-people-are-coming/) Billy Taylor > [I feel pain everyday of my life. When you see me perform, it's that pain you're seeing coming out. I put all my emotions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-feel-pain-everyday-of-my-life-when-you-see-me-perform-it-s-that/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [So the first thing I learned about how to get superior performance is not to buy stocks that are near their lows, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-neil/so-the-first-thing-i-learned-about-how-to-get-superior-performance-is/) [William O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-neil/) > [...Individualistic material progress and the desire to gain prestige by coming out on top have taken over from the sense of fellowship, compassion and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-vanier/individualistic-material-progress-and-the-desire-to-gain-prestige-by/) [Jean Vanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-vanier/) > [ Basically I made her \[ Sara Pocock\] listen to funk music for a good month, a nonstop stream of George Clinton. I was talking… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-vaughn/basically-i-made-her-sara-pocock-listen-to-funk-music-for-a-good/) [Baron Vaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-vaughn/) > [The most you can do is stand up for what you believe in. I'm much happier since coming out to my friends and family.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-collins/the-most-you-can-do-is-stand-up-for-what-you-believe-in-i-m-much/) [Jason Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-collins/) > [According to a new book coming out by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, apparently when he was in high school, President Obama smoked large amounts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/according-to-a-new-book-coming-out-by-a-pulitzer-prize-winning-author/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [My black friends in America don't believe me. I said, 'Dude, I'm Nigerian American.' 'Word? We thought you were, like, regular black.' What the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/godfrey/my-black-friends-in-america-don-t-believe-me-i-said-dude-i-m-nigerian/) [Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/godfrey/) > [I think it's the source material. 27 Dresses was a famous book, and Devil Wears Prada was also a wonderful book, so it's coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-bruckheimer/i-think-it-s-the-source-material-27-dresses-was-a-famous-book-and/) [Jerry Bruckheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-bruckheimer/) [Browse all 771 Coming out quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-out/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Most straight people, and many gay people, especially those who came of age more recently, don’t understand how momentous and difficult coming out was to men and women of this generation. 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