--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We struggled against apartheid because we…" description: "\"We struggled against apartheid because we were being blamed and made to suffer for something we could do nothing about. It is the same with homosexuali..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd0/desmond-tutu-442_apartheid_we-struggled-against-apartheid-because-w_1535853.jpg" --- # We struggled against apartheid because we were being… ![“We struggled against apartheid because we were being blamed and made to suffer for something we could do nothing about. It is the same with homosexuality. The orientation is a given, not a matter of choice. It would be crazy for someone to choose to be gay, given the homophobia that is present.” quote by Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd0/desmond-tutu-442_apartheid_we-struggled-against-apartheid-because-w_1535853.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd0/desmond-tutu-442_apartheid_we-struggled-against-apartheid-because-w_1535853.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd0/desmond-tutu-442_apartheid_we-struggled-against-apartheid-because-w_1535853.jpg) > “We struggled against apartheid because we were being blamed and made to suffer for something we could do nothing about. It is the same with homosexuality. The orientation is a given, not a matter of choice. It would be crazy for someone to choose to be gay, given the homophobia that is present.” [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People are blamed for conditions beyond their control, similar to how sexual orientation is innate and not a choice. **In simple terms:** Blame is unfair when it targets innate traits. Key Takeaway Recognize and respect inherent identities. Themes human rights equality identity social justice Mood empathetic determined Type advocacy educational When to use this quote - Policy debates - educational campaigns - personal conversations Key Concepts Innate orientation blame social stigma Questions to Reflect On - How do we protect rights of those blamed for innate traits? - What policies best support equality? A Different Perspective Some argue orientation can be changed, which oversimplifies complex biology. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apartheid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apartheid/) [Being crazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-crazy/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Choose Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose-gay-2278167/) [Crazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crazy/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Given Homophobia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given-homophobia-5709075/) [Homophobia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homophobia/) [Homophobia Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homophobia-present-5709078/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Orientation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orientation/) [Struggled Apartheid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggled-apartheid-5709077/) [Suffer Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffer-homosexuality-5709076/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [“I knew without blinking that I didn't have to choose between loving God and loving my brother - and he didn't have to choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pavlovitz/i-knew-without-blinking-that-i-didn-t-have-to-choose-between-loving/) [John Pavlovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pavlovitz/) > [It used to be so important to choose what you were. Gay or straight. Male or female. I think the new generation is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreja-pejic/it-used-to-be-so-important-to-choose-what-you-were-gay-or-straight/) [Andreja Pejic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreja-pejic/) > [I don't think you choose whether or not you're gay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-o-donnell/i-don-t-think-you-choose-whether-or-not-you-re-gay/) [Rosie O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie-o-donnell/) > [I'll tell you this: Religion is far more of a choice than homosexuality. And the protections that we have, for religion -we protect religion-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/i-ll-tell-you-this-religion-is-far-more-of-a-choice-than/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [I didn't choose to be gay; I was chosen. 'Are you serious? I get to be queer? Oh, thank you. I didn't even fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-westenhoefer/i-didn-t-choose-to-be-gay-i-was-chosen-are-you-serious-i-get-to-be/) [Suzanne Westenhoefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-westenhoefer/) > [I didn't choose to be gay. It would be more accurate to say that it was determined by nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jens-spahn/i-didn-t-choose-to-be-gay-it-would-be-more-accurate-to-say-that-it/) [Jens Spahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jens-spahn/) > [No matter how sexually attracted a man might be toward other men, or a woman toward other women, and no matter how close the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/no-matter-how-sexually-attracted-a-man-might-be-toward-other-men-or-a/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [There are two or three ways to combat homophobia - one is through humor. The second is to put a face on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jordan/there-are-two-or-three-ways-to-combat-homophobia-one-is-through-humor/) [Leslie Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jordan/) > [Actually I'm more culturally Muslim than religiously but being Muslim is an important part of my identity. As Muslim, I feel it's important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aasif-mandvi/actually-i-m-more-culturally-muslim-than-religiously-but-being-muslim/) [Aasif Mandvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aasif-mandvi/) > [I hate the word homophobia. It's not a phobia. You are not scared. You are an asshole,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-hate-the-word-homophobia-it-s-not-a-phobia-you-are-not-scared-you/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [I don't draw any distinctions between forms of bigotry or forms of ideology that lose sight of the humanity of people. I can't stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-don-t-draw-any-distinctions-between-forms-of-bigotry-or-forms-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I'm very encouraged. This is progress. There are two or three ways to combat homophobia - one is through humor. The second is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jordan/i-m-very-encouraged-this-is-progress-there-are-two-or-three-ways-to/) [Leslie Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jordan/) > [Evil is the shadow of angel. Just as there are angels of light, support, guidance, healing and defense, so we have experiences of shadow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/evil-is-the-shadow-of-angel-just-as-there-are-angels-of-light-support/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [Both casual, unthinking discrimination and deliberate, malicious homophobia erode self-confidence and undermine mental health. Both are far too common, not just in our schoolyards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-shorten/both-casual-unthinking-discrimination-and-deliberate-malicious/) [Bill Shorten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-shorten/) > [I think, even though homophobia still exists, there is much more of a dialogue and a taboo around being homophobic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-think-even-though-homophobia-still-exists-there-is-much-more-of-a/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) ## More by Desmond Tutu > [Each of us is precious to God because each of us has their name written on the palms of God's hands. And God says…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/each-of-us-is-precious-to-god-because-each-of-us-has-their-name/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Freedom and liberty lose out by default because good people are not vigilant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/freedom-and-liberty-lose-out-by-default-because-good-people-are-not/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [We shall be free only together, black and white. We shall survive only together, black and white. We can be human only together, black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/we-shall-be-free-only-together-black-and-white-we-shall-survive-only/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Many people would be surprised that, in fact, I'm quite shy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/many-people-would-be-surprised-that-in-fact-i-m-quite-shy/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Too many people think that reconciliation means you soft-pedal differences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/too-many-people-think-that-reconciliation-means-you-soft-pedal/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Our Christian faith is actually very subversive of the conventional notion of success - the notion that what invests a person with worth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/our-christian-faith-is-actually-very-subversive-of-the-conventional/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Every situation of justice is an occasion where someone is being humiliated and they want to restore their dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/every-situation-of-justice-is-an-occasion-where-someone-is-being/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Race should not be used to claim privileges and rights for one group, exclusively, which are denied other different groups. Then that is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/race-should-not-be-used-to-claim-privileges-and-rights-for-one-group/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [People are able to justify immense cruelty and say that it is something that is sanctioned by their faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/people-are-able-to-justify-immense-cruelty-and-say-that-it-is/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [South Africa, so utterly improbably, is a beacon of hope in a dark and troubled world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/south-africa-so-utterly-improbably-is-a-beacon-of-hope-in-a-dark-and/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [I don't often want to speak. I try to be a reasonable person and to be diplomatic, but you go to that place and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/i-don-t-often-want-to-speak-i-try-to-be-a-reasonable-person-and-to-be/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [“child of God, known by name and whose very hairs are numbered. Praise and adore God and thank him for ever and ever. Amen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/child-of-god-known-by-name-and-whose-very-hairs-are-numbered-praise/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [To remain neutral in situations of injustice is to be complicit in that injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/to-remain-neutral-in-situations-of-injustice-is-to-be-complicit-in/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [It's a fantastic thing that from moment to the next moment if God were to have stopped for a split second we would disintegrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/it-s-a-fantastic-thing-that-from-moment-to-the-next-moment-if-god/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Once lost, trust can only be regained if we are as good as our word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/once-lost-trust-can-only-be-regained-if-we-are-as-good-as-our-word/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) [Explore all 558 Desmond Tutu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) ## More Apartheid quotes > [My life had been defined by the apartheid years. Now we were going into an era of democracy... and I believed that I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/my-life-had-been-defined-by-the-apartheid-years-now-we-were-going/) [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) > [If apartheid is removed, then the violence that is necessary to maintain it will be removed along with the pressures from apartheid which create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-tambo/if-apartheid-is-removed-then-the-violence-that-is-necessary-to/) [Oliver Tambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-tambo/) > [I try not to get too political. But coming from South Africa, where apartheid was a huge problem, and there was lots of inequality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-anderson/i-try-not-to-get-too-political-but-coming-from-south-africa-where/) [Kevin Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-anderson/) > [I grew up under Thatcher; the era of apartheid; the era of the poll tax; the era of riots. I remember Neil Kinnock was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/i-grew-up-under-thatcher-the-era-of-apartheid-the-era-of-the-poll-tax/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [When I talk about the end of apartheid, I prefer not to claim the honor that I have ended it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-w-de-klerk/when-i-talk-about-the-end-of-apartheid-i-prefer-not-to-claim-the/) [F. W. de Klerk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-w-de-klerk/) > [ We \[ with Brian Mulroney and Rajiv Gandhi\] went to the meeting in Canada \[the 1987 Vancouver CHOGM\] and I said to them there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/we-with-brian-mulroney-and-rajiv-gandhi-went-to-the-meeting-in-canada/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) > [My time in prison only deepened my resolve against apartheid. Even while I was in prison, I fought against it, teaching my cellmates about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/my-time-in-prison-only-deepened-my-resolve-against-apartheid-even/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [But I think I'm on track to do something even bigger. I liberate minds with my music. That's more important than liberating a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/but-i-think-i-m-on-track-to-do-something-even-bigger-i-liberate-minds/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [The mistake the apartheid government made was they gave the black people nothing, so they had nothing to lose. But now a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilbur-smith/the-mistake-the-apartheid-government-made-was-they-gave-the-black/) [Wilbur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilbur-smith/) > [HEAVEN: The big apartheid in the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-appleman/heaven-the-big-apartheid-in-the-sky/) [Philip Appleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-appleman/) > [I have no doubt that in the future, the laws that criminalize human love and commitment will look the way the apartheid laws do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/i-have-no-doubt-that-in-the-future-the-laws-that-criminalize-human/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [My life had been defined by the apartheid years. Now we were going into an era of democracy... and I believed that I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/my-life-had-been-defined-by-the-apartheid-years-now-we-were-going-2/) [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) > [The violence associated with the A.N.C. is minimal, infinitesimal next to the violence of the apartheid regime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-tambo/the-violence-associated-with-the-a-n-c-is-minimal-infinitesimal-next/) [Oliver Tambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-tambo/) > [Imagine if your kids had to carry a ladder to climb an apartheid wall to get to school everyday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-suleiman/imagine-if-your-kids-had-to-carry-a-ladder-to-climb-an-apartheid-wall/) [Omar Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-suleiman/) > [The private schools and the independent schools like Oprah's are really doing well because they've got the best of everything but it certainly puts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlayne-hunter-gault/the-private-schools-and-the-independent-schools-like-oprah-s-are/) [Charlayne Hunter-Gault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlayne-hunter-gault/) [Browse all 299 Apartheid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apartheid/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We struggled against apartheid because we were being blamed and made to suffer for something we could do nothing about. It is the same with homosexuality. The orientation is a given, not a matter of choice. It would be crazy for someone to choose to be gay, given the homophobia that is present.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Desmond Tutu" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/we-struggled-against-apartheid-because-we-were-being-blamed-and-made/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Apartheid" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/we-struggled-against-apartheid-because-we-were-being-blamed-and-made/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd0/desmond-tutu-442_apartheid_we-struggled-against-apartheid-because-w_1535853.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd0/desmond-tutu-442_apartheid_we-struggled-against-apartheid-because-w_1535853.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd0/desmond-tutu-442_apartheid_we-struggled-against-apartheid-because-w_1535853.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We struggled against apartheid because we were being blamed and made to suffer for something we could do…” — Desmond Tutu", "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": "Desmond Tutu", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We struggled against apartheid because we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/we-struggled-against-apartheid-because-we-were-being-blamed-and-made/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/we-struggled-against-apartheid-because-we-were-being-blamed-and-made/#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 } } ] } ```