--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Attitudes toward gays have shifted much…" description: "\"Attitudes toward gays have shifted much like they have for animals. People have a hard time relating to those who are different and often strike out ag..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7b/dan-mathews-35492_animal_attitudes-toward-gays-have-shifted-much_1111944.png" --- # Attitudes toward gays have shifted much like they have for… ![“Attitudes toward gays have shifted much like they have for animals. People have a hard time relating to those who are different and often strike out against them in ignorance. But society is really starting to wise up at last as more enlightened generations emerge.” quote by Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7b/dan-mathews-35492_animal_attitudes-toward-gays-have-shifted-much_1111944.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7b/dan-mathews-35492_animal_attitudes-toward-gays-have-shifted-much_1111944.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7b/dan-mathews-35492_animal_attitudes-toward-gays-have-shifted-much_1111944.png) > “Attitudes toward gays have shifted much like they have for animals. People have a hard time relating to those who are different and often strike out against them in ignorance. But society is really starting to wise up at last as more enlightened generations emerge.” [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal views on LGBTQ+ individuals are evolving, moving from fear and prejudice toward acceptance as newer generations promote inclusivity. **In simple terms:** Attitudes are shifting toward acceptance. Key Takeaway Support inclusive education and dialogue. Themes social change LGBTQ+ rights generational shift prejudice Mood optimistic reflective encouraging Type sociological activist When to use this quote - schools - workplaces - media campaigns - family discussions Key Concepts sociology human rights culture Questions to Reflect On - How can allies effectively challenge lingering biases? - What role does media play in shaping attitudes? A Different Perspective Resistance persists in some regions and age groups. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) [Attitudes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitudes/) [Enlightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightened/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Gays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gays/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Hard time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-time/) [Hard times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-times/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Strikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strikes/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) ## Related quotes > [The Bible is to gays what Mein Kampf is to Jews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-tatchell/the-bible-is-to-gays-what-mein-kampf-is-to-jews/) [Peter Tatchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-tatchell/) > [Coming out to gays is a way of affirming sanity and self-worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-weinberg/coming-out-to-gays-is-a-way-of-affirming-sanity-and-self-worth/) [George Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weinberg/) > [Where gays and lesbians are the best organized and most concentrated in numbers are states that President Clinton must carry in order to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mixner/where-gays-and-lesbians-are-the-best-organized-and-most-concentrated/) [David Mixner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mixner/) > [Originally, I was against gay marriage because I was opposed to all marriage, being an old-fashioned gay bohemian. The straight people I knew in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/originally-i-was-against-gay-marriage-because-i-was-opposed-to-all/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Gays being gay is wrong. Two women can't produce a baby, two men can't produce a baby, so it's not how it's supposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-everett/gays-being-gay-is-wrong-two-women-can-t-produce-a-baby-two-men-can-t/) Carl Everett > [Sometime in the not too distant future, denying gays the right to marry will be viewed as historically corrupt - as corrupt as denying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/sometime-in-the-not-too-distant-future-denying-gays-the-right-to/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [We've got gays working there. If they can demonstrate long-term relationships, we make same-sex benefits available just as we do with common-law marriages. Gays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-coors/we-ve-got-gays-working-there-if-they-can-demonstrate-long-term/) [Pete Coors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-coors/) > [We can't believe how many gays there are in heavy metal, people like...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/biff-byford/we-can-t-believe-how-many-gays-there-are-in-heavy-metal-people-like/) Biff Byford > [I don't think gays that should be married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-pivarnick/i-don-t-think-gays-that-should-be-married/) [Angelina Pivarnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-pivarnick/) > [Many people secretly think that gays are a lot happier than they are, and want to punish them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-weinberg/many-people-secretly-think-that-gays-are-a-lot-happier-than-they-are/) [George Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weinberg/) > [Gays, lesbians, straights, feminists, fascist pigs, communists, Hare Krishnas - none of them bother me. I don't care what banner they raise. But what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/gays-lesbians-straights-feminists-fascist-pigs-communists-hare/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [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/) > [Bisexuality started a long, long time ago. You just have to support it. There's nothing wrong with it. We all bleed the same, we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dereck-chisora/bisexuality-started-a-long-long-time-ago-you-just-have-to-support-it/) [Dereck Chisora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dereck-chisora/) > [The hypocrisy and false piety of the deniers aside, the relationships of gays have no effect on heteros. Especially all the heteros who've done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ridley/the-hypocrisy-and-false-piety-of-the-deniers-aside-the-relationships/) [John Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ridley/) > [Gay rights is just a matter of time. Look at the polls. Worrying about gay marriage, let alone gay civil unions or gay employment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/gay-rights-is-just-a-matter-of-time-look-at-the-polls-worrying-about/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) ## More by Dan Mathews > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [Compassion for animals is something that every child has naturally but they are lured away from these instincts by society's nasty habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/compassion-for-animals-is-something-that-every-child-has-naturally/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [Back in the eighties, people thought a vegan was someone from Vegas. It's a different world now and I feel lucky to have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/back-in-the-eighties-people-thought-a-vegan-was-someone-from-vegas-it/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [We will be just as ruthless as any of our targets. We will go for the throat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/we-will-be-just-as-ruthless-as-any-of-our-targets-we-will-go-for-the/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [On leather jackets: That's the next step. You have to take one step at a time. It was easier to start with fur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/on-leather-jackets-that-s-the-next-step-you-have-to-take-one-step-at/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [I'd like to be remembered by two simple words: any two words, as long as they're simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/i-d-like-to-be-remembered-by-two-simple-words-any-two-words-as-long/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [I've never dated anyone because they were vegetarian, just like I'm gay but don't only go to gay bars. I hang out with people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/i-ve-never-dated-anyone-because-they-were-vegetarian-just-like-i-m/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [As someone who was gay bashed as a kid, I learned firsthand how a lot of people only feel good about themselves when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/as-someone-who-was-gay-bashed-as-a-kid-i-learned-firsthand-how-a-lot/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [I've always thought it would be fun to have a vegan campaign aimed at gays called "Don't be a Dairy Queen."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/i-ve-always-thought-it-would-be-fun-to-have-a-vegan-campaign-aimed-at/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [Do you know that fat little guy from Seinfeld? He has become the main pitchman for KFC, Jason Alexander. And beginning in May he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/do-you-know-that-fat-little-guy-from-seinfeld-he-has-become-the-main/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [Most people, especially activists, recognize their differences with others rather than what they have in common and that leads to frustration more than persuasion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-especially-activists-recognize-their-differences-with/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [Getting arrested is fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/getting-arrested-is-fun/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) [Explore all 13 Dan Mathews quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) Mak\_786 > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Attitudes toward gays have shifted much like they have for animals. People have a hard time relating to those who are different and often strike out against them in ignorance. 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