Cases Quote by Dan Savage
“You can’t pray away the gay, but you can torture a conflicted closet case to death.”
About This Quote
Source Column: “The Limits of Prayer” by Dan Savage, 2015
Prayer cannot change sexual orientation; forcing it causes harm.
In simple terms: Prayer won’t change sexuality.
Key Takeaway
Support acceptance over coercion.
Themes
LGBTQ+
faith
mental health
rights
Mood
empathetic
serious
Type
activist
inspirational
When to use this quote
- counseling
- faith communities
- support groups
- advocacy
Key Concepts
ethics
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How can faith and identity coexist?
- What alternatives to conversion therapy exist?
A Different Perspective
Some may view this as dismissing religious belief.
![“Someone sent an email to Reverend Joanna Watson [an American missionary] saying that I'm gay, and she sent it to all the anti-gay pastors in Uganda. One of them said, "We're going to take care of this guy." When I was confronted by them I didn't know what they were going to do, but they decided to…” quote by Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a04/roger-ross-williams-5118_anti-gay_someone-sent-an-email-to-reverend-joanna_3057123.jpg)
![“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)
![“[As in the case of] alcohol prohibition, illegality has driven organized crime, sent countless people to jail, and killed many thousands. Repression does not work.” quote by Sam Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/212/sam-branson-36458_alcohol_as-in-the-case-of-alcohol-prohibition-il_8703.jpg)
