---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If bigots oppose gay marriage so…"
description: "\"If bigots oppose gay marriage so vehemently, it must be because marriage is a defining institution for them; gays will never be fully accepted until th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e5/edmund-white-2376_accepted_if-bigots-oppose-gay-marriage-so-vehemen_2720919.png"
---

#  If bigots oppose gay marriage so vehemently, it must be…

![“If bigots oppose gay marriage so vehemently, it must be because marriage is a defining institution for them; gays will never be fully accepted until they can marry and adopt, like anyone else.” quote by Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e5/edmund-white-2376_accepted_if-bigots-oppose-gay-marriage-so-vehemen_2720919.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e5/edmund-white-2376_accepted_if-bigots-oppose-gay-marriage-so-vehemen_2720919.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e5/edmund-white-2376_accepted_if-bigots-oppose-gay-marriage-so-vehemen_2720919.png)

> “If bigots oppose gay marriage so vehemently, it must be because marriage is a defining institution for them; gays will never be fully accepted until they can marry and adopt, like anyone else.”

[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.

Argues that opposition to gay marriage stems from its symbolic importance to bigots.

**In simple terms:** Opposition is about symbolism, not logistics.

Key Takeaway

Address underlying fears in advocacy.

Themes

LGBTQ+ marriage social change symbolism

Mood

hopeful critical

Type

social political

When to use this quote

- activism
- policy advocacy
- community outreach

Key Concepts

identity politics social acceptance legal rights

Questions to Reflect On

- What deeper fears drive opposition?
- How can symbols be reframed?

A Different Perspective

May oversimplify complex motivations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Accepted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepted/) [Adopt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adopt/) [Anyone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anyone/) [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Bigots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigots/) [Bigots Oppose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigots-oppose-2881236/) [Defining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defining/) [Else](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/else/) [Fully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fully/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Gay marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay-marriage/) [Gays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gays/) [Institution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institution/) [Institution Gays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institution-gays-2881237/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marry/) [Must](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/must/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Oppose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppose/) [Oppose Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppose-gay-1386463/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Until](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/until/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/)

## Related quotes

> [Gay marriage is a tricky issue for the Democrats due to the fact that - like taxes, defense and education - they are forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/gay-marriage-is-a-tricky-issue-for-the-democrats-due-to-the-fact-that/)

[Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/)

> [I don't know why Christians oppose gay marriage when they believe in a God who was a single dad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-know-why-christians-oppose-gay-marriage-when-they-believe-in/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I oppose the Gay Pride Parade because it reminds me all the hot guys I want to sleep with are gay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-oppose-the-gay-pride-parade-because-it-reminds-me-all-the-hot-guys/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [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/)

> [I was never an assimilationist. I always thought gays had some special mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/i-was-never-an-assimilationist-i-always-thought-gays-had-some-special/)

[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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [Gays, lesbians, straights, feminists, fascist pigs, communists, Hare Krishnas - none of them bother me. I don't care what banner they raise. But what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/gays-lesbians-straights-feminists-fascist-pigs-communists-hare/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [Bisexuality started a long, long time ago. You just have to support it. There's nothing wrong with it. We all bleed the same, we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dereck-chisora/bisexuality-started-a-long-long-time-ago-you-just-have-to-support-it/)

[Dereck Chisora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dereck-chisora/)

> [The hypocrisy and false piety of the deniers aside, the relationships of gays have no effect on heteros. Especially all the heteros who've done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ridley/the-hypocrisy-and-false-piety-of-the-deniers-aside-the-relationships/)

[John Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ridley/)

> [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 Accepted quotes

> [Merkel has realized that the euro is not working, but she cannot change the narrative she has created because that narrative has caught the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/merkel-has-realized-that-the-euro-is-not-working-but-she-cannot/)

[George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/)

> [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/)

[Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/)

> [Greatness is not guarding yourself from people. Greatness is being accepted by the people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/greatness-is-not-guarding-yourself-from-people-greatness-is-being/)

[Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/)

> [The idea that this world is a playground instead of a battleground has now been accepted in practice by the vast majority of Christians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/the-idea-that-this-world-is-a-playground-instead-of-a-battleground/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [Bruce Katz is a spectacular talent! He's a brilliant composer and arranger who uses uncommon and unique musical intelligence to redefine jazz and blues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-coryell/bruce-katz-is-a-spectacular-talent-he-s-a-brilliant-composer-and/)

[Larry Coryell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-coryell/)

> [wishes for sons by Lucille Clifton i wish them cramps. i wish them a strange town and the last tampon. I wish them no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-clifton/wishes-for-sons-by-lucille-clifton-i-wish-them-cramps-i-wish-them-a/)

[Lucille Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-clifton/)

> [What our species needs, above all else, is a generally accepted ethical system that is compatible with the scientific knowledge we now possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-our-species-needs-above-all-else-is-a-generally-accepted-ethical/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [There are a lot of movies about misfits that are quite cool, that kind of glamorize it on some level. I think there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hall/there-are-a-lot-of-movies-about-misfits-that-are-quite-cool-that-kind/)

[Rebecca Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hall/)

> [In Quebec City many Muslims have said that they hide their faith because they know that if they don't, if they show that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-pratte/in-quebec-city-many-muslims-have-said-that-they-hide-their-faith/)

[Andre Pratte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-pratte/)

> [The rules and principles of case law have never been treated as final truths but as working hypotheses, continually retested in those great laboratories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-n-cardozo/the-rules-and-principles-of-case-law-have-never-been-treated-as-final/)

[Benjamin N. Cardozo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-n-cardozo/)

> [ We have reached a situation where a theory has been accepted as fact by some, and possible contrary evidence is shunted aside. \[This is\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-shapiro/we-have-reached-a-situation-where-a-theory-has-been-accepted-as-fact/)

[Robert Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-shapiro/)

> [And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-if-all-others-accepted-the-lie-which-the-party-imposed-if-all/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [I was in a conversation and someone said: "You know, we were talking about the whole issue of transgender and how it has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-was-in-a-conversation-and-someone-said-you-know-we-were-talking/)

[Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/)

> [Divorce is so common and accepted in America that beating myself up over it may sound ridiculous. But I was raised to believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trisha-yearwood/divorce-is-so-common-and-accepted-in-america-that-beating-myself-up/)

[Trisha Yearwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trisha-yearwood/)

> [Handicaps can be converted into stepping stones on which one may climb toward some worthy goal, unless they are accepted as obstacles, and used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/handicaps-can-be-converted-into-stepping-stones-on-which-one-may/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

[Browse all 2,128 Accepted quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepted/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If bigots oppose gay marriage so vehemently, it must be because marriage is a defining institution for them; gays will never be fully accepted until they can marry and adopt, like anyone else.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edmund White"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/if-bigots-oppose-gay-marriage-so-vehemently-it-must-be-because/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accepted"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/if-bigots-oppose-gay-marriage-so-vehemently-it-must-be-because/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e5/edmund-white-2376_accepted_if-bigots-oppose-gay-marriage-so-vehemen_2720919.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e5/edmund-white-2376_accepted_if-bigots-oppose-gay-marriage-so-vehemen_2720919.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e5/edmund-white-2376_accepted_if-bigots-oppose-gay-marriage-so-vehemen_2720919.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If bigots oppose gay marriage so vehemently, it must be because marriage is a defining institution for them…” — Edmund White",
                "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": "Edmund White",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If bigots oppose gay marriage so...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/if-bigots-oppose-gay-marriage-so-vehemently-it-must-be-because/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/if-bigots-oppose-gay-marriage-so-vehemently-it-must-be-because/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
