Book Quote by Dan Savage
“Sedaris, in his essay in the It Gets Better book, writes that when he was growing up nobody called him gay because you might as well have called him a warlock. Nobody knew what gay was.”
About This Quote
Source Essay in It Gets Better, 2014
The quote uses humor to illustrate how gay identity was invisible or misunderstood, equating it to a mythical label.
In simple terms: Being gay was hidden or mocked.
Key Takeaway
Embrace identity despite misunderstanding.
Themes
identity
humor
visibility
Mood
hopeful
defiant
Type
personal
activist
When to use this quote
- coming out
- school bullying
- media representation
Key Concepts
LGBTQ+ experience
social stigma
self‑acceptance
Questions to Reflect On
- How did humor help you cope?
- What labels have you rejected?
A Different Perspective
It may oversimplify complex social dynamics.
![“And that really captures the difference for the bullied straight kid versus the bullied gay kid, is that the bullied straight kid goes home to a shoulder to cry on and support and can talk freely about his experience at school and why he's being bullied. [...] And I couldn't go home and open up to…” quote by Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f23/dan-savage-2880_being-bullied_and-that-really-captures-the-difference_58927.jpg)
![“I'm one of those gay people who's constantly reminded of how fortunate I am to live now and not to be Ennis and Jack [from Brokeback Mountain] or whatever - not that I'd mind being Ennis for half an hour. But it's been so much worse recently. It still is terrible. In Iran, they're hanging gay…” quote by Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/31f/dan-savage-2880_addict_i-m-one-of-those-gay-people-who-s-consta_100210.jpg)
