--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was a kid, and I was odd, the…" description: "\"When I was a kid, and I was odd, the default assumption was that I was odd, not that I was gay. Now when a kid is odd in a Greensburg, gay or straight,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ea/dan-savage-2880_assumption_when-i-was-a-kid-and-i-was-odd-the-defau_2733496.jpg" --- # When I was a kid, and I was odd, the default assumption… ![“When I was a kid, and I was odd, the default assumption was that I was odd, not that I was gay. Now when a kid is odd in a Greensburg, gay or straight, the default assumption is gay.” quote by Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ea/dan-savage-2880_assumption_when-i-was-a-kid-and-i-was-odd-the-defau_2733496.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ea/dan-savage-2880_assumption_when-i-was-a-kid-and-i-was-odd-the-defau_2733496.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ea/dan-savage-2880_assumption_when-i-was-a-kid-and-i-was-odd-the-defau_2733496.jpg) > “When I was a kid, and I was odd, the default assumption was that I was odd, not that I was gay. Now when a kid is odd in a Greensburg, gay or straight, the default assumption is gay.” [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. Societal assumptions about identity have shifted from viewing oddness as a label to assuming sexual orientation. **In simple terms:** Assumptions about identity change over time. Key Takeaway Challenge stereotypes. Themes identity stereotypes social change Mood thoughtful critical Type advice observational When to use this quote - schools - media - community discussions Key Concepts gender sexuality culture Questions to Reflect On - How do we avoid new stereotypes? - What supports inclusive understanding? A Different Perspective Assumptions can still marginalize individuals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) ## Related quotes > [“The assumption that being gay or black necessarily harms the self-worth of all who fit this category has a patronizing dimension, because it neglects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenny/the-assumption-that-being-gay-or-black-necessarily-harms-the-self/) Michael Kenny > [Being in the Boy Scouts, you don't think about whether people are gay or straight. You're busy putting up tents and learning to cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boy-george/being-in-the-boy-scouts-you-don-t-think-about-whether-people-are-gay/) [Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boy-george/) > [I've been close to two or three couples, gay and straight, who have been together for 45 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-sachs/i-ve-been-close-to-two-or-three-couples-gay-and-straight-who-have/) [Ira Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-sachs/) > [ One of the few nice things about \[time in Yale\] was you got to know people before there were labels on them, so you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-sessums/one-of-the-few-nice-things-about-time-in-yale-was-you-got-to-know/) [Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-sessums/) > [I think people in the gay and straight worlds can get a sense of what it means to be an artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-eikenberry/i-think-people-in-the-gay-and-straight-worlds-can-get-a-sense-of-what/) [Jill Eikenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-eikenberry/) > [Every religion you are, every ethnicity you are, every sex you are, if you're gay or straight. You should be considered as equal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-balti/every-religion-you-are-every-ethnicity-you-are-every-sex-you-are-if/) [Bianca Balti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-balti/) > [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/) > [I am not a boy, not a girl, I am not gay, not straight, I am not a drag queen, not a transsexual -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-curtis/i-am-not-a-boy-not-a-girl-i-am-not-gay-not-straight-i-am-not-a-drag/) Jackie Curtis > [Ultimately, love conquers all, and gay or straight, don't we all want to believe that? I would that if this was to happen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sorvino/ultimately-love-conquers-all-and-gay-or-straight-don-t-we-all-want-to/) [Paul Sorvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sorvino/) > [“I love how everything must always be defined. Gay, straight, bi. Why can’t people just fuck whoever they want without feeling the need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-kennedy/i-love-how-everything-must-always-be-defined-gay-straight-bi-why-can/) [Elle Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-kennedy/) > [When I first appeared, people couldn't figure out whether I was gay, straight, black, white or whatever, and I loved that. I loved the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pink/when-i-first-appeared-people-couldn-t-figure-out-whether-i-was-gay/) [Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pink/) > [No matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgendered life, I'm on the right track baby I was born to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/no-matter-gay-straight-or-bi-lesbian-transgendered-life-i-m-on-the/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [I don't see anyone as being different than anyone else, whether you're gay or straight or whatever - everyone's the same. That's how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-michele/i-don-t-see-anyone-as-being-different-than-anyone-else-whether-you-re/) [Lea Michele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-michele/) > [ “\[...\]he‘s a man you‘d be proud to bring home to mom. Gay or straight. Unfortunately, if your mother is anything like mine, you‘d probably… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-wilder/he-s-a-man-you-d-be-proud-to-bring-home-to-mom-gay-or-straight/) [Adrienne Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-wilder/) > [I don't want to be a gay or a straight artist. I don't make gay records - I make records.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hayes/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-gay-or-a-straight-artist-i-don-t-make-gay/) [Darren Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hayes/) ## 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 Assumption quotes > [Next to the assumption of power was the responsibility of relinquishing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/next-to-the-assumption-of-power-was-the-responsibility-of/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) Richard Doll > [Fortunately, the mind is restless; when it uncovers a layer of its own deception, gives up an illusion, exposes a lie, it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-chernin/fortunately-the-mind-is-restless-when-it-uncovers-a-layer-of-its-own/) [Kim Chernin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-chernin/) > [The possibility of saying anything about a thing rests on the assumption that it preserves its identity, or continues to be the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-knight/the-possibility-of-saying-anything-about-a-thing-rests-on-the/) [Frank Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-knight/) > [She spent hours drawing on her own, trying to perfect her craft. And when she got into music, she had that same diligence in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-joplin/she-spent-hours-drawing-on-her-own-trying-to-perfect-her-craft-and/) [Laura Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-joplin/) > [If they are, then the only ultimate truths are the particulars of concrete experience, and no postulate or general assumption is inherent in science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-wright/if-they-are-then-the-only-ultimate-truths-are-the-particulars-of/) [Chauncey Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-wright/) > [If he's - the inference is that somehow he thinks slavery is a - is a noble institution I would - I would strongly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-he-s-the-inference-is-that-somehow-he-thinks-slavery-is-a-is-a/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Leadership, pure and simple, is the assumption of responsibility for the pursuit of excellence in group life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-selznick/leadership-pure-and-simple-is-the-assumption-of-responsibility-for/) Philip Selznick > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [When I see a fan coming over, I can't help but make an assumption about what they want to talk about. A middle-aged American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-dormer/when-i-see-a-fan-coming-over-i-can-t-help-but-make-an-assumption/) [Natalie Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-dormer/) > [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [Pussy Riot have certainly changed some people's assumptions about the role of political art and the relationship between the intelligentsia and the church. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/pussy-riot-have-certainly-changed-some-people-s-assumptions-about-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) [Browse all 1,277 Assumption quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was a kid, and I was odd, the default assumption was that I was odd, not that I was gay. 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