--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My own belief is that being gay is a…" description: "\"My own belief is that being gay is a regularly occurring nonpathological minority variant in the human condition, and that an appropriate analogy is le..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab2/james-alison-39107_analogies_my-own-belief-is-that-being-gay-is-a-reg_1028816.jpg" --- # My own belief is that being gay is a regularly occurring… ![“My own belief is that being gay is a regularly occurring nonpathological minority variant in the human condition, and that an appropriate analogy is left-handedness, which also, as it happens, used to be regarded as some sort of defect in a normatively right-handed humanity.” quote by James Alison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab2/james-alison-39107_analogies_my-own-belief-is-that-being-gay-is-a-reg_1028816.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab2/james-alison-39107_analogies_my-own-belief-is-that-being-gay-is-a-reg_1028816.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab2/james-alison-39107_analogies_my-own-belief-is-that-being-gay-is-a-reg_1028816.jpg) > “My own belief is that being gay is a regularly occurring nonpathological minority variant in the human condition, and that an appropriate analogy is left-handedness, which also, as it happens, used to be regarded as some sort of defect in a normatively right-handed humanity.” [James Alison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-alison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being gay is a natural human variation, comparable to left‑handedness, which was once wrongly labeled a defect. **In simple terms:** Gay identity is normal, like left‑handedness. Key Takeaway Accept diversity as natural. Themes identity equality human rights Mood empathetic hopeful Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - education curricula - policy advocacy - media representation - healthcare training Key Concepts social construction biological diversity Questions to Reflect On - How can we reframe “normal” in society? - What lessons does left‑handedness teach about prejudice? A Different Perspective Societal bias may still label differences as defects. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Analogies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analogies/) [Being gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-gay/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Defects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defects/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Human condition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-condition/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Minorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minorities/) ## Related quotes > [“He was impressed with his father's fiction and noticed certain stylistic tics that he shared, and figured it was genetic. Why would genes determine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/he-was-impressed-with-his-father-s-fiction-and-noticed-certain/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [To be regularly gay was to do every day the gay thing that they did every day. To be regularly gay was to end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/to-be-regularly-gay-was-to-do-every-day-the-gay-thing-that-they-did/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [Part of my motivation in the search for a cause of being gay was the need to find "something that has gone wrong that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-alison/part-of-my-motivation-in-the-search-for-a-cause-of-being-gay-was-the/) [James Alison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-alison/) > [The silence of those in positions of influence in the church who know, or have a strong suspicion, that being gay is a nonpathological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-alison/the-silence-of-those-in-positions-of-influence-in-the-church-who-know/) [James Alison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-alison/) > [Being gay is just a small fraction of who I am, not what defines me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-gay-is-just-a-small-fraction-of-who-i-am-not-what-defines-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gays being gay is wrong. Two women can't produce a baby, two men can't produce a baby, so it's not how it's supposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-everett/gays-being-gay-is-wrong-two-women-can-t-produce-a-baby-two-men-can-t/) Carl Everett > [Wouldn't it be nice if we lived in a world where no one thought being gay was even something to ride someone about?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-konigsberg/wouldn-t-it-be-nice-if-we-lived-in-a-world-where-no-one-thought-being/) [Bill Konigsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-konigsberg/) > [There's nothing wrong with being gay. I have plenty of friends who are going to hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-being-gay-i-have-plenty-of-friends-who-are/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [And being gay isn't so easy, either I've always said that if anyone ever thought I was straight they must need glasses - but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boy-george/and-being-gay-isn-t-so-easy-either-i-ve-always-said-that-if-anyone/) [Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boy-george/) > [Being gay is like glitter, it never goes away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/being-gay-is-like-glitter-it-never-goes-away/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [I used too cry cause I'd be accused of being gay all the time ...now people are just like noooo whyyyy?!?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-used-too-cry-cause-i-d-be-accused-of-being-gay-all-the-time-now/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being gay and being a woman has one big thing in common, which is that we both become invisible after the age of 42.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-everett/being-gay-and-being-a-woman-has-one-big-thing-in-common-which-is-that/) [Rupert Everett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-everett/) > [I don't particularly like going on about being gay or making a big thing about it, but I think it's a bit of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-davis/i-don-t-particularly-like-going-on-about-being-gay-or-making-a-big/) [Evan Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-davis/) > [You dont go to hell for being gay unless you confess your sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-dont-go-to-hell-for-being-gay-unless-you-confess-your-sin/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) ## More by James Alison > [Give people a common enemy, and you will give them a common identity. Deprive them of an enemy and you will deprive them of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-alison/give-people-a-common-enemy-and-you-will-give-them-a-common-identity/) [James Alison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-alison/) > [I'm not sure that I've ever been drawn to the academic life as such. Theology has been a matter of survival for me. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-alison/i-m-not-sure-that-i-ve-ever-been-drawn-to-the-academic-life-as-such/) [James Alison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-alison/) > [I think I have quite traditional views on original sin, grace, and the real but difficult nature of we humans being able to learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-alison/i-think-i-have-quite-traditional-views-on-original-sin-grace-and-the/) [James Alison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-alison/) > [The silence of those in positions of influence in the church who know, or have a strong suspicion, that being gay is a nonpathological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-alison/the-silence-of-those-in-positions-of-influence-in-the-church-who-know/) [James Alison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-alison/) > [I'm honestly not sure that I've ever tried to talk as a theologian about "homosexual acts," per se. 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I should start keeping a book - in 20 years, I'll have a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-kardashian/kanye-west-just-says-the-funniest-analogies-that-are-so-random-i/) [Kim Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-kardashian/) > [Historical analogy is the last refuge of people who can't grasp the current situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/historical-analogy-is-the-last-refuge-of-people-who-can-t-grasp-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Calvin: Today for show and tell, I've brought a tiny miracle of nature: a single snowflake! I think we might all learn a lesson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/calvin-today-for-show-and-tell-i-ve-brought-a-tiny-miracle-of-nature/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [For some people, getting pregnant is as easy as catching cold." 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'No . . . that's too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-laureano/his-lessons-were-chock-full-of-analogies-for-a-variety-of-musical/) Manny Laureano > [E-books are impervious to analogy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/e-books-are-impervious-to-analogy/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [Imagination runs out. But it makes sense, right? We probably just imagine things based on what we already know, and we run out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/imagination-runs-out-but-it-makes-sense-right-we-probably-just/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [Apt analogies are among the most formidable weapons of the rhetorician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/apt-analogies-are-among-the-most-formidable-weapons-of-the-rhetorician/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [In my photographic work I'm generally attracted to places that contain memories, history, atmospheres and stories. I'm interested in the places where people have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/in-my-photographic-work-i-m-generally-attracted-to-places-that/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [There is then no analogy whatever between the operations of the Chess-Player, and those of the calculating machine of Mr. Babbage , and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/there-is-then-no-analogy-whatever-between-the-operations-of-the-chess/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [The real achievement in discoveries... is seeing an analogy where no one saw one before... 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