--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was never an assimilationist. I always…" description: "\"I was never an assimilationist. I always thought gays had some special mission.\" — Edmund White" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c0/edmund-white-2376_always_i-was-never-an-assimilationist-i-always_1976274.png" --- # I was never an assimilationist. I always thought gays had… ![“I was never an assimilationist. I always thought gays had some special mission.” quote by Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c0/edmund-white-2376_always_i-was-never-an-assimilationist-i-always_1976274.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c0/edmund-white-2376_always_i-was-never-an-assimilationist-i-always_1976274.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c0/edmund-white-2376_always_i-was-never-an-assimilationist-i-always_1976274.png) > “I was never an assimilationist. I always thought gays had some special mission.” [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He rejects assimilation, believing gay individuals have a unique purpose. **In simple terms:** He sees gay people as having a special mission. Key Takeaway Recognize and honor unique identities. Themes identity LGBTQ+ purpose Mood proud defiant Type social philosophical When to use this quote - pride events - community organizing - personal advocacy Key Concepts social justice self-acceptance activism Questions to Reflect On - How do you define a 'special mission'? - What responsibilities arise from identity? A Different Perspective Not all share this view; risk of essentialism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [Assimilationist Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assimilationist-thought-3346934/) [Gays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gays/) [Gays Special](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gays-special-3346935/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Mission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mission/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Some](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/some/) [Special](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/special/) [Special Mission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/special-mission-1475427/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Thought Gays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-gays-3274391/) ## Related quotes > [And why is it "homophobic" for Senate Republicans to look askance at sex in public bathrooms? Is the Times claiming that sodomy in public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/and-why-is-it-homophobic-for-senate-republicans-to-look-askance-at/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [I may be strong-minded, but no one can say I'm out of my sphere now, for woman's special mission is supposed to be drying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-may-be-strong-minded-but-no-one-can-say-i-m-out-of-my-sphere-now/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [ “operations\] that previously only Tier One Special Mission Units would be doing.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scahill/operations-that-previously-only-tier-one-special-mission-units-would/) [Jeremy Scahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scahill/) > [“Has your soul a special mission? Yes. Your mission is in the inmost recesses of your heart, and you have to find and fulfil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/has-your-soul-a-special-mission-yes-your-mission-is-in-the-inmost/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [We are called with a special calling, and we have a special mission to perform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-penrose/we-are-called-with-a-special-calling-and-we-have-a-special-mission-to/) [Charles W. Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-penrose/) > [I am succeeding quite well in my work and the future looks well. What special mission is God preparing me for? Cutting off all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-swallow-richards/i-am-succeeding-quite-well-in-my-work-and-the-future-looks-well-what/) [Ellen Swallow Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-swallow-richards/) > [AIDS had won gays sympathy; they no longer seemed the privileged brats that the general populace had resented in the 1970s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/aids-had-won-gays-sympathy-they-no-longer-seemed-the-privileged-brats/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [If bigots oppose gay marriage so vehemently, it must be because marriage is a defining institution for them; gays will never be fully accepted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/if-bigots-oppose-gay-marriage-so-vehemently-it-must-be-because/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [I do probably come down a little hard on a group of people I call the 'blue chip gays.' I mean people who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/i-do-probably-come-down-a-little-hard-on-a-group-of-people-i-call-the/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [The Stonewall riots were a key moment for gay people. Throughout modern history, gays had thought of themselves as something like a mental illness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-stonewall-riots-were-a-key-moment-for-gay-people-throughout/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Early on, after gay liberation, there was an almost Stalinist pressure from gay critics and even gay readers to write about positive role models.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/early-on-after-gay-liberation-there-was-an-almost-stalinist-pressure/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Originally I was opposed to gay assimilation and targeted gay marriage as just another effort on the part of gays to resemble their straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/originally-i-was-opposed-to-gay-assimilation-and-targeted-gay/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Originally, I was against gay marriage because I was opposed to all marriage, being an old-fashioned gay bohemian. The straight people I knew in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/originally-i-was-against-gay-marriage-because-i-was-opposed-to-all/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [First, I was opposed to gay marriage because it seemed like one more way that gays were wanting to assimilate. When I realized the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/first-i-was-opposed-to-gay-marriage-because-it-seemed-like-one-more/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [The Bible is to gays what Mein Kampf is to Jews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-tatchell/the-bible-is-to-gays-what-mein-kampf-is-to-jews/) [Peter Tatchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-tatchell/) ## More by Edmund White > [The talk shows in the States want celebrities, not authors. In France, it is different; writers are called upon to comment on everything. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-talk-shows-in-the-states-want-celebrities-not-authors-in-france/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Just like Barack Obama, my views on gay marriage have evolved, and now I am a reluctant groom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/just-like-barack-obama-my-views-on-gay-marriage-have-evolved-and-now/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [In 'A Boy's Own Story' and 'Jack Holmes and His Friend,' my idea was to take someone totally different from my real self and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-a-boy-s-own-story-and-jack-holmes-and-his-friend-my-idea-was-to/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Everyone seems agreed that writing about sex is perilous, partly because it threatens to swamp highly individualised characters in a generic, featureless activity (much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/everyone-seems-agreed-that-writing-about-sex-is-perilous-partly/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > ['The Sound of Things Falling' may be a page turner, but it's also a deep meditation on fate and death. Even in translation, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-sound-of-things-falling-may-be-a-page-turner-but-it-s-also-a-deep/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [If you're a beach person or a golfer, Key West is not for you. Most of the sand has been imported, and the water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/if-you-re-a-beach-person-or-a-golfer-key-west-is-not-for-you-most-of/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [First, I was opposed to gay marriage because it seemed like one more way that gays were wanting to assimilate. When I realized the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/first-i-was-opposed-to-gay-marriage-because-it-seemed-like-one-more/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [From my mother I learned just how violent and unquenchable a woman's loneliness can be. She had been sheltered excessively by her husband and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/from-my-mother-i-learned-just-how-violent-and-unquenchable-a-woman-s/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [From an early age, I had the idea that writing was truth-telling. It's on the record. Everybody can see it. Maybe it goes back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/from-an-early-age-i-had-the-idea-that-writing-was-truth-telling-it-s/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Since, in the best Southern tradition, I was named Edmund Valentine White III, sometimes when people look up my books on Amazon they find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/since-in-the-best-southern-tradition-i-was-named-edmund-valentine/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [When I was young, I despised old people. I was provincial and narrow-minded. It's the reason I stayed stupid so long. If you only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/when-i-was-young-i-despised-old-people-i-was-provincial-and-narrow/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Key West is the place where your sickly house plant back in New York grows to 10 ft. It's also the place where an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/key-west-is-the-place-where-your-sickly-house-plant-back-in-new-york/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [“In the past, when gays were very flamboyant as drag queens or as leather queens or whatever, that just amused people. And most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-the-past-when-gays-were-very-flamboyant-as-drag-queens-or-as/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [When a woman falls in love with me, I feel guilty. I am convinced that it's pure obstinacy that keeps me from reciprocating her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/when-a-woman-falls-in-love-with-me-i-feel-guilty-i-am-convinced-that/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [While writing 'City Boy,' I relied mainly on my own memories. In particular, I was able to describe the effect of gay liberation on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/while-writing-city-boy-i-relied-mainly-on-my-own-memories-in/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) [Explore all 166 Edmund White quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) [Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was never an assimilationist. 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