--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Coming out is the most political thing…" description: "\"Coming out is the most political thing you can do\" — Harvey Milk" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/202/harvey-milk-9963_coming_coming-out-is-the-most-political-thing-y_2026648.jpg" --- # Coming out is the most political thing you can do ![“Coming out is the most political thing you can do” quote by Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/202/harvey-milk-9963_coming_coming-out-is-the-most-political-thing-y_2026648.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/202/harvey-milk-9963_coming_coming-out-is-the-most-political-thing-y_2026648.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/202/harvey-milk-9963_coming_coming-out-is-the-most-political-thing-y_2026648.jpg) > “Coming out is the most political thing you can do” [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Coming out is an inherently political act, challenging societal norms. **In simple terms:** Coming out is political. Key Takeaway Own your identity publicly. Themes identity politics activism visibility rights Mood courageous defiant Type activist political When to use this quote - public declarations - advocacy campaigns - media interviews - policy discussions Key Concepts social change personal empowerment Questions to Reflect On - Why does personal disclosure affect politics? - How can allies support coming out? A Different Perspective Risk of backlash or personal danger. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coming out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-out/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Positive energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-energy/) ## Related quotes > [I may have my personal political thing, but we never wanted it to stain the show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-stone/i-may-have-my-personal-political-thing-but-we-never-wanted-it-to/) [Matt Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-stone/) > [So much of what we see and hear about the Middle East focuses on what we call politics, which is essentially ideology. But when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annia-ciezadlo/so-much-of-what-we-see-and-hear-about-the-middle-east-focuses-on-what-2/) [Annia Ciezadlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annia-ciezadlo/) > [Never forget that the most political thing you can ever do is follow your heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/never-forget-that-the-most-political-thing-you-can-ever-do-is-follow/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) > [I don't feel like I possess a particular political intelligence, and when I read work that does, I feel like somebody else is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/i-don-t-feel-like-i-possess-a-particular-political-intelligence-and/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [Most of the things I'm talking about are essential human rights. I don't think it should be political to say that children should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/most-of-the-things-i-m-talking-about-are-essential-human-rights-i-don/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [Chris Rock does the political thing really well, but that never worked for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/chris-rock-does-the-political-thing-really-well-but-that-never-worked/) [Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/) > [I like being my age. I kind of have a political thing about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-like-being-my-age-i-kind-of-have-a-political-thing-about-it/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [People say to me, Oh, it's so wonderful that you're writing about real things, and that it's a political thing to do, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/people-say-to-me-oh-it-s-so-wonderful-that-you-re-writing-about-real/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [What you eat is the most political thing you do every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/what-you-eat-is-the-most-political-thing-you-do-every-day/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [The possibility of impeachment's always there, but impeachment's a political thing, not legal, despite how it's structured. And it's not gonna happen unless there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-possibility-of-impeachment-s-always-there-but-impeachment-s-a/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [In a way, the most political thing you can do is be yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boy-george/in-a-way-the-most-political-thing-you-can-do-is-be-yourself/) [Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boy-george/) > [Putting something in a movie because it's in the news doesn't make it political to me. If you're not going outside the same old,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/putting-something-in-a-movie-because-it-s-in-the-news-doesn-t-make-it/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [I think if you say that art and politics, or religion and politics, mustn't mix, don't mix, that is itself a political statement. Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-think-if-you-say-that-art-and-politics-or-religion-and-politics/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [The most political thing you can do is be yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boy-george/the-most-political-thing-you-can-do-is-be-yourself/) [Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boy-george/) > [I think that instead of feminism being a political thing, it should be an act of creativity. It's more of a rock n' roll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/i-think-that-instead-of-feminism-being-a-political-thing-it-should-be/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) ## More by Harvey Milk > [Some people call me the unofficial mayor of Castro Street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/some-people-call-me-the-unofficial-mayor-of-castro-street/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [“Let's make no mistake about this: The American Dream starts with the neighborhoods. If we wish to rebuild our cities, we must first rebuild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/let-s-make-no-mistake-about-this-the-american-dream-starts-with-the/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [We will not win our rights by staying quietly in our closets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/we-will-not-win-our-rights-by-staying-quietly-in-our-closets/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [If it were true that children mimicked their teachers, you'd sure have a helluva lot more nuns running around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/if-it-were-true-that-children-mimicked-their-teachers-you-d-sure-have/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [Never take an elevator in city hall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/never-take-an-elevator-in-city-hall/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [Out of the bars and into the streets!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/out-of-the-bars-and-into-the-streets/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [Rights are won only by those who make their voices heard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/rights-are-won-only-by-those-who-make-their-voices-heard/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [We are coming out to tell the truths about gays, for I am tired of the conspiracy of silence, so I'm going to talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/we-are-coming-out-to-tell-the-truths-about-gays-for-i-am-tired-of-the/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [The first gay people we elect must be strong. 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He was watching from the outside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kell-brook/dominic-ingle-has-seen-me-probably-from-9-years-old-coming-through-he/) [Kell Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kell-brook/) > [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/) > [When Mom had her first nervous breakdown, she said she had a vision of Christ coming to her in the living room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spalding-gray/when-mom-had-her-first-nervous-breakdown-she-said-she-had-a-vision-of/) [Spalding Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spalding-gray/) > [I look forward to the day that a lot of the folks that you all talk about and cover on this network will begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-look-forward-to-the-day-that-a-lot-of-the-folks-that-you-all-talk/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love coming of age stories that have struggle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-paul/i-love-coming-of-age-stories-that-have-struggle/) [Aaron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-paul/) > [But when Neil called, I have to say that my heart soared. 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