--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm a lesbian and I'd rather you bully me…" description: "\"“I'm a lesbian and I'd rather you bully me than a thirteen-year-old kid.”\" — Dan Savage" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/dan-savage-2880_bully_i-m-a-lesbian-and-i-d-rather-you-bully-m_2352295.jpg" --- # I'm a lesbian and I'd rather you bully me than a… ![“I'm a lesbian and I'd rather you bully me than a thirteen-year-old kid.” quote by Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/dan-savage-2880_bully_i-m-a-lesbian-and-i-d-rather-you-bully-m_2352295.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/dan-savage-2880_bully_i-m-a-lesbian-and-i-d-rather-you-bully-m_2352295.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/dan-savage-2880_bully_i-m-a-lesbian-and-i-d-rather-you-bully-m_2352295.jpg) > ““I'm a lesbian and I'd rather you bully me than a thirteen-year-old kid.”” [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He uses hyperbole to highlight the absurdity of protecting children through bullying, emphasizing the need for genuine empathy. **In simple terms:** He prefers being bullied over harming a child. Key Takeaway Prioritize protecting children over personal discomfort. Themes ethics bullying child protection sexuality humor Mood critical ironic Type social commentary humor When to use this quote - school policies - online harassment - parental guidance - advocacy Key Concepts moral philosophy social norms protective instincts Questions to Reflect On - How can we protect children without resorting to bullying? - What are healthier ways to address prejudice? A Different Perspective Bullying is harmful regardless of intent; alternative protective measures needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bully/) [Bullying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullying/) [Lesbian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lesbian/) ## Related quotes > [I never caught on to being a bully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-nolte/i-never-caught-on-to-being-a-bully/) [Nick Nolte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-nolte/) > [It gets better. It seems hard, you know, I think being different is always gonna be a tough climb. There's always gonna be people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-lambert/it-gets-better-it-seems-hard-you-know-i-think-being-different-is-2/) [Adam Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-lambert/) > [“but at heart, he was still a coward which he masked by being a bully. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/but-at-heart-he-was-still-a-coward-which-he-masked-by-being-a-bully/) [Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) > [Our Animal Sanctuary initiative has many layers. We are aiming to create a place where abandoned and bullied creatures come together with bullied youth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-somerhalder/our-animal-sanctuary-initiative-has-many-layers-we-are-aiming-to/) [Ian Somerhalder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-somerhalder/) > [I feel as though I'm nice and that I'm down to earth, and - people like me get taken advantage of. So by being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-williams/i-feel-as-though-i-m-nice-and-that-i-m-down-to-earth-and-people-like/) [Wendy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-williams/) > [Even bullies need love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-walters/even-bullies-need-love/) [Eric Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-walters/) > [Bully and Jealousy are such an ugly quality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uniique-styles-randxom/bully-and-jealousy-are-such-an-ugly-quality/) Uniique Styles Randxom > [Always be a first-rate version of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/always-be-a-first-rate-version-of-yourself/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) > [Knowing what's right doesn't mean much unless you do what's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/knowing-what-s-right-doesn-t-mean-much-unless-you-do-what-s-right/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [It's the bully who is insecure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shay-mitchell/it-s-the-bully-who-is-insecure/) [Shay Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shay-mitchell/) > [Democracy becomes a government of bullies tempered by editors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/democracy-becomes-a-government-of-bullies-tempered-by-editors/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Nothing can prepare you for living or working with a sociopathic serial bully. It is the most devastating, draining, misunderstood, and ultimately futile experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-field/nothing-can-prepare-you-for-living-or-working-with-a-sociopathic/) [Tim Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-field/) > [Bullies enjoy dark happiness; these are the blank parts that eventually fill their minds with nothingness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-shanks/bullies-enjoy-dark-happiness-these-are-the-blank-parts-that/) Emily Shanks > [ \[Putin\] is a bully. And bullies only understand when we punch them in the nose, but we need to do that economically. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/putin-is-a-bully-and-bullies-only-understand-when-we-punch-them-in/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) > [A bully is not reasonable - he is persuaded only by threats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-de-france/a-bully-is-not-reasonable-he-is-persuaded-only-by-threats/) [Marie de France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-de-france/) ## More by Dan Savage > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [Bisexuals need to recognize that their being closeted is a huge contributing factor to the hostility they face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/bisexuals-need-to-recognize-that-their-being-closeted-is-a-huge/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [Really, when it comes to gay rights, there's two wars going on. The first war is political. But the culture war is over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/really-when-it-comes-to-gay-rights-there-s-two-wars-going-on-the/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [I get letters every year from women who think Valentine's Day is an empty exercise, but are ironically pretty exercised when their boyfriends neglect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-get-letters-every-year-from-women-who-think-valentine-s-day-is-an/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [I'm allergic to dogs, so I couldn't even adopt what gay men typically adopt when they have that maternal gene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-m-allergic-to-dogs-so-i-couldn-t-even-adopt-what-gay-men-typically/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [And that really captures the difference for the bullied straight kid versus the bullied gay kid, is that the bullied straight kid goes home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/and-that-really-captures-the-difference-for-the-bullied-straight-kid/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-m-one-of-those-gay-people-who-s-constantly-reminded-of-how/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [I think the best thing for you to do is just live your life. Live a life that's worth living, one where you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-think-the-best-thing-for-you-to-do-is-just-live-your-life-live-a/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [the Bible is only as good and decent as the person reading it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/the-bible-is-only-as-good-and-decent-as-the-person-reading-it/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [There's a big mistake the left has made with talking to religious people, which is attempting to talk them out of their interpretations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/there-s-a-big-mistake-the-left-has-made-with-talking-to-religious/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [The mistake that straight people made was imposing the monogamous expectation on men. Men were never expected to be monogamous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/the-mistake-that-straight-people-made-was-imposing-the-monogamous/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [I got picked on a lot, even by teachers too. I liked to listen to musicals and bake, and my homeroom teacher found out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-got-picked-on-a-lot-even-by-teachers-too-i-liked-to-listen-to/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [“Either way... you've got to tell him--in no uncertain terms--to knock it the fuck off already. Don't be measured, don't wrap it up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/either-way-you-ve-got-to-tell-him-in-no-uncertain-terms-to-knock-it/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [I wanted to be a priest when I was a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-wanted-to-be-a-priest-when-i-was-a-kid/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [When you're young and queer and closeted, you can end up in this place where you regard your straight peers as the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/when-you-re-young-and-queer-and-closeted-you-can-end-up-in-this-place/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) [Explore all 147 Dan Savage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) ## More Bully quotes > [I never caught on to being a bully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-nolte/i-never-caught-on-to-being-a-bully/) [Nick Nolte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-nolte/) > [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [ \[Putin\] is a bully. And bullies only understand when we punch them in the nose, but we need to do that economically. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/putin-is-a-bully-and-bullies-only-understand-when-we-punch-them-in/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) > [Bullies enjoy dark happiness; these are the blank parts that eventually fill their minds with nothingness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-shanks/bullies-enjoy-dark-happiness-these-are-the-blank-parts-that/) Emily Shanks > [“You fed us, washed us, forced that vile medicine down our throats. By sheer force of will you made some of us live who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-osborne/you-fed-us-washed-us-forced-that-vile-medicine-down-our-throats-by/) [Maggie Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-osborne/) > [Nothing can prepare you for living or working with a sociopathic serial bully. It is the most devastating, draining, misunderstood, and ultimately futile experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-field/nothing-can-prepare-you-for-living-or-working-with-a-sociopathic/) [Tim Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-field/) > [John McCain is a liar and flip-flopper and panderer and bully and whiner. And it seems to be working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tomasky/john-mccain-is-a-liar-and-flip-flopper-and-panderer-and-bully-and/) Michael Tomasky > [Democracy becomes a government of bullies tempered by editors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/democracy-becomes-a-government-of-bullies-tempered-by-editors/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I daydreamed that when you grow up there are more bullies and how wonderful that would be if it were true, but, it's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-daydreamed-that-when-you-grow-up-there-are-more-bullies-and-how/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [The real problem with Donald Trump is, if you engage him, it will only make things worse. It's like - it's a little bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-walter/the-real-problem-with-donald-trump-is-if-you-engage-him-it-will-only/) [Amy Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-walter/) > [It won't ruin our movement if someone gets killed in an animal rights action. It's going to happen sooner or later. The Animal Liberation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-vlasak/it-won-t-ruin-our-movement-if-someone-gets-killed-in-an-animal-rights/) [Jerry Vlasak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-vlasak/) > [It's the bully who is insecure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shay-mitchell/it-s-the-bully-who-is-insecure/) [Shay Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shay-mitchell/) > [Knowing what's right doesn't mean much unless you do what's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/knowing-what-s-right-doesn-t-mean-much-unless-you-do-what-s-right/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [“Jilly looked at it with a sinking heart. It was difficult enough when the exotic, undeniably gorgeous creature of her fantasies had turned out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stuart/jilly-looked-at-it-with-a-sinking-heart-it-was-difficult-enough-when/) [Anne Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stuart/) > [Always be a first-rate version of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/always-be-a-first-rate-version-of-yourself/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) [Browse all 729 Bully quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bully/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I'm a lesbian and I'd rather you bully me than a thirteen-year-old kid.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dan Savage" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-m-a-lesbian-and-i-d-rather-you-bully-me-than-a-thirteen-year-old-kid/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bully" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-m-a-lesbian-and-i-d-rather-you-bully-me-than-a-thirteen-year-old-kid/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/dan-savage-2880_bully_i-m-a-lesbian-and-i-d-rather-you-bully-m_2352295.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/dan-savage-2880_bully_i-m-a-lesbian-and-i-d-rather-you-bully-m_2352295.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/dan-savage-2880_bully_i-m-a-lesbian-and-i-d-rather-you-bully-m_2352295.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm a lesbian and I'd rather you bully me than a thirteen-year-old kid.” — Dan Savage", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dan Savage", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I'm a lesbian and I'd rather...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-m-a-lesbian-and-i-d-rather-you-bully-me-than-a-thirteen-year-old-kid/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-m-a-lesbian-and-i-d-rather-you-bully-me-than-a-thirteen-year-old-kid/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```