--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The scorn directed against drags is…" description: "\"The scorn directed against drags is especially virulent; they have become the outcasts of gay life, thequeers of homosexuality. In fact, they are class..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/730/edmund-white-2376_gay-life_the-scorn-directed-against-drags-is-espe_652745.png" --- # The scorn directed against drags is especially virulent… ![“The scorn directed against drags is especially virulent; they have become the outcasts of gay life, thequeers of homosexuality. In fact, they are classic scapegoats. Our old fears about our sissiness, still with us though masked by the newmacho fascism, are now located, isolated…” quote by Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/730/edmund-white-2376_gay-life_the-scorn-directed-against-drags-is-espe_652745.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/730/edmund-white-2376_gay-life_the-scorn-directed-against-drags-is-espe_652745.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/730/edmund-white-2376_gay-life_the-scorn-directed-against-drags-is-espe_652745.png) > “The scorn directed against drags is especially virulent; they have become the outcasts of gay life, thequeers of homosexuality. In fact, they are classic scapegoats. Our old fears about our sissiness, still with us though masked by the newmacho fascism, are now located, isolated, quarantinedthrough our persecution of the transvestite.” [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. Society marginalizes trans individuals, using them as scapegoats, reflecting deep-seated fears. **In simple terms:** Trans people are unfairly blamed, showing hidden fears. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge transphobic scapegoating. Themes identity transphobia scapegoating Mood reflective critical Type analytical advocacy When to use this quote - activism - education - policy reform - community support Key Concepts social stigma masculinity fear of difference Questions to Reflect On - What fears drive this scapegoating? - How can allies support trans rights? A Different Perspective Changing entrenched attitudes is slow and resistant. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gay life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay-life/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [The scorn directed against drags is especially virulent; they have become the outcasts of gay life, the "queers" of homosexuality.In fact, they are classic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-scorn-directed-against-drags-is-especially-virulent-they-have/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [I've always been impelled to say the truth. When I was 14, in 1954, I already wrote a gay novel, though I'd never read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/i-ve-always-been-impelled-to-say-the-truth-when-i-was-14-in-1954-i/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Paradoxically, since gay men rarely have gay parents, cultural transmission must come from friends or strangers (a problem since the generations so seldom mix…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/paradoxically-since-gay-men-rarely-have-gay-parents-cultural/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [The populace drags down the gods to their own level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-populace-drags-down-the-gods-to-their-own-level/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Belotti is someone who drags you forward, he's such a hard worker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-bonucci/belotti-is-someone-who-drags-you-forward-he-s-such-a-hard-worker/) [Leonardo Bonucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-bonucci/) > [Among other things, drag queens are living testimony to the way women used to want to be, the way some people still want them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/among-other-things-drag-queens-are-living-testimony-to-the-way-women/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [Criticism is like many other things, it drags along after what has already been said and doesn't get out of its rut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-delacroix/criticism-is-like-many-other-things-it-drags-along-after-what-has/) [Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) > [Nothing so reduces and drags down a human being as the consciousness of not being loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/nothing-so-reduces-and-drags-down-a-human-being-as-the-consciousness/) [Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/) > [“life does not stop for anybody it drags you by the legs whether you want to move forward or not that is the gift”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/life-does-not-stop-for-anybody-it-drags-you-by-the-legs-whether-you/) [Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/) > [A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-alinsky/a-tactic-that-drags-on-too-long-becomes-a-drag/) [Saul Alinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-alinsky/) > [Long open panegyric drags at best, And praise is only praise when well address'd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phineas-fletcher/long-open-panegyric-drags-at-best-and-praise-is-only-praise-when-well/) [Phineas Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phineas-fletcher/) > [The less the thought of the body, the better. For it is the body that drags us down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-less-the-thought-of-the-body-the-better-for-it-is-the-body-that/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“The lure of safety drags us into lives we'd prefer to dodge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-kennedy/the-lure-of-safety-drags-us-into-lives-we-d-prefer-to-dodge/) [Douglas Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-kennedy/) > [Its time to move on, let go of the past before it drags you further down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-time-to-move-on-let-go-of-the-past-before-it-drags-you-further/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Clogged with yesterday's excess, the body drags the mind down with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/clogged-with-yesterday-s-excess-the-body-drags-the-mind-down-with-it/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) ## 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. 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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 Gay life quotes > [Gay life in 1970 was very bleak, compartmentalized. You didn't take it to work. You had to really lead a double life. 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Gay life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-sante/many-writers-and-artists-portrayed-the-poor-sympathetically-and-even/) [Luc Sante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-sante/) > [Everything encourages you not to tell stories of gay lives. There is no economy yet for that kind of cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-sachs/everything-encourages-you-not-to-tell-stories-of-gay-lives-there-is/) [Ira Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-sachs/) > [The scorn directed against drags is especially virulent; they have become the outcasts of gay life, the "queers" of homosexuality.In fact, they are classic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-scorn-directed-against-drags-is-especially-virulent-they-have/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [While the Obama Department of Justice seems to favor pornographers over children and families, that will change under a Satorum Administration. I will ban…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/while-the-obama-department-of-justice-seems-to-favor-pornographers/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [Sexuality is a part of our behavior. It's part of our world freedom. Sexuality is something that we ourselves create. It is our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/sexuality-is-a-part-of-our-behavior-it-s-part-of-our-world-freedom/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [One of the definitive works on gay life. 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