--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Coming out as a gay man, it was very much…" description: "\"Coming out as a gay man, it was very much about finding my own identity and dealing with labeling.\" — John Cameron Mitchell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/john-cameron-mitchell-3889_finding_coming-out-as-a-gay-man-it-was-very-much_2152645.jpg" --- # Coming out as a gay man, it was very much about finding my… ![“Coming out as a gay man, it was very much about finding my own identity and dealing with labeling.” quote by John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/john-cameron-mitchell-3889_finding_coming-out-as-a-gay-man-it-was-very-much_2152645.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/john-cameron-mitchell-3889_finding_coming-out-as-a-gay-man-it-was-very-much_2152645.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/john-cameron-mitchell-3889_finding_coming-out-as-a-gay-man-it-was-very-much_2152645.jpg) > “Coming out as a gay man, it was very much about finding my own identity and dealing with labeling.” [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Exploring personal identity through coming out, confronting societal labels and self‑acceptance. **In simple terms:** Finding self‑identity after coming out. Key Takeaway Embrace authenticity despite labels. Themes identity self‑acceptance LGBTQ+ courage Mood reflective hopeful Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - coming out - personal growth - support groups - public speaking Key Concepts identity formation social labeling self‑discovery Questions to Reflect On - How do labels affect your sense of self? - What steps help you stay authentic? A Different Perspective Labels can limit self‑perception and external acceptance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) ## Related quotes > [When you're younger, it's hard because you're finding your identity, and then for 12 hours out of the day, you have to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilarie-burton/when-you-re-younger-it-s-hard-because-you-re-finding-your-identity/) [Hilarie Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilarie-burton/) > [“Leaving the priesthood and coming out as gay would be a double whammy that would be difficult for some in the family, especially my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/leaving-the-priesthood-and-coming-out-as-gay-would-be-a-double-whammy/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [Coming out as gay is something that for awhile I wanted to do and just wanted to wait for the right moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-nassib/coming-out-as-gay-is-something-that-for-awhile-i-wanted-to-do-and/) [Carl Nassib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-nassib/) > [In the case of my book, I don't think it's really the coming-out gay novel that everyone really needed, even though it was received…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-the-case-of-my-book-i-don-t-think-it-s-really-the-coming-out-gay/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [After coming out as gay, I soon felt a lot more comfortable in my life, moment to moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/after-coming-out-as-gay-i-soon-felt-a-lot-more-comfortable-in-my-life/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [Coming out as gay was an easy enough matter for me, since I worked in a profession where being gay had a long history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/coming-out-as-gay-was-an-easy-enough-matter-for-me-since-i-worked-in/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [Someone coming out as gay shouldn't be newsworthy; it shouldn't be warranting a magazine cover or anything like that, which I had as my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/someone-coming-out-as-gay-shouldn-t-be-newsworthy-it-shouldn-t-be/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [Having a baby had always seemed the easiest and most natural thing to do, and I had never felt - even in my most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-swisher/having-a-baby-had-always-seemed-the-easiest-and-most-natural-thing-to/) [Kara Swisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-swisher/) > [“Stop worrying about your identity and concern yourself with the people you care about, ideas that matter to you, beliefs you can stand by,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/stop-worrying-about-your-identity-and-concern-yourself-with-the/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [I guess, for me, the idea of finding an identity through creative means has always been a way to deal with otherwise feeling awkward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/i-guess-for-me-the-idea-of-finding-an-identity-through-creative-means/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [“Rather than finding my identity in my relationship with God, I was finding it in my drive to do “good work.” The more I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-vischer/rather-than-finding-my-identity-in-my-relationship-with-god-i-was/) [Phil Vischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-vischer/) > [I have some idea of the pressure of finding your own identity with a famous father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-douglas/i-have-some-idea-of-the-pressure-of-finding-your-own-identity-with-a/) [Michael Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-douglas/) > [. . . Cultivating good humor may be helpful in finding our own identity. Young people who are trying to find out who they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/cultivating-good-humor-may-be-helpful-in-finding-our-own-identity/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [Let me say that the path I did take for a brief period of my life was not of reckless drug use, hurting others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-capriati/let-me-say-that-the-path-i-did-take-for-a-brief-period-of-my-life-was/) [Jennifer Capriati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-capriati/) > [I'm right at a time when I'm strongly finding my identity inside of my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lucas/i-m-right-at-a-time-when-i-m-strongly-finding-my-identity-inside-of/) [Josh Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lucas/) ## More by John Cameron Mitchell > [You're on Facebook, and you're supposed to know your sexual orientation at 13... Nobody really knows what's going on at that time, and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/you-re-on-facebook-and-you-re-supposed-to-know-your-sexual/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [I'd like to do some female roles again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/i-d-like-to-do-some-female-roles-again/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [We're all weirdly single, middle-aged women with too much money who look to fill the void with too much shopping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/we-re-all-weirdly-single-middle-aged-women-with-too-much-money-who/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [I think as far as themes, 'Hedwig' is about what music meant to you as a kid and how rock n' roll can save…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/i-think-as-far-as-themes-hedwig-is-about-what-music-meant-to-you-as-a/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [Doing 'Hedwig' totally contributed to my acceptance of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/doing-hedwig-totally-contributed-to-my-acceptance-of-myself/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [“My sex change operation got botched; my guardian angel fell asleep on the watch; now all I got is a Barbie doll crotch; I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/my-sex-change-operation-got-botched-my-guardian-angel-fell-asleep-on/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > ['Hedwig' isn't particularly based on me, but I think that it is autobiographical in terms of emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/hedwig-isn-t-particularly-based-on-me-but-i-think-that-it-is/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [Kids' literature now is dystopian, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/kids-literature-now-is-dystopian-you-know/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [Getting the blood moving through your body does do wonders for your complexion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/getting-the-blood-moving-through-your-body-does-do-wonders-for-your/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [There are a lot of silly projects out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/there-are-a-lot-of-silly-projects-out-there/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [I would love for 'Hedwig' to be in every tiny shopping mall so every freakish kid like I was can have a broadening experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/i-would-love-for-hedwig-to-be-in-every-tiny-shopping-mall-so-every/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [We spend so much of our early lives trying to figure out who we really are. And we spend the rest of our lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/we-spend-so-much-of-our-early-lives-trying-to-figure-out-who-we/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [I like all kinds of input.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/i-like-all-kinds-of-input/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [Anger is so constructive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/anger-is-so-constructive/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [Growing up, it was uncool to admit that your family had any money. And then, instantly, money was cool. In Reagan's parlance, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/growing-up-it-was-uncool-to-admit-that-your-family-had-any-money-and/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) [Explore all 120 John Cameron Mitchell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) ## More Finding quotes > [Most people do surprisingly poorly when dealing with a relative who is hurting, depressed, or anxious - we get defensive and try to solve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/most-people-do-surprisingly-poorly-when-dealing-with-a-relative-who/) [David D. 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You, O worthy one, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeking-means-to-have-a-goal-but-finding-means-to-be-free-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes the challenge of beating the jet lag and getting a decent sleep can be as hard to solve as finding the right setup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-grosjean/sometimes-the-challenge-of-beating-the-jet-lag-and-getting-a-decent/) [Romain Grosjean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-grosjean/) > [The key to finding protein for your snacks when you're on the go is making sure said snacks don't need to be refrigerated, don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harley-pasternak/the-key-to-finding-protein-for-your-snacks-when-you-re-on-the-go-is/) [Harley Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harley-pasternak/) > [Just a decade after 'Living in Bondage,' Nollywood films, made in some 300 languages, were being watched in both urban and rural areas, distributed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-flock/just-a-decade-after-living-in-bondage-nollywood-films-made-in-some/) [Elizabeth Flock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-flock/) > [I have always been interested in finding new ways to play and have looked at handball keepers and ice hockey goal-minders. It helps me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-neuer/i-have-always-been-interested-in-finding-new-ways-to-play-and-have/) [Manuel Neuer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-neuer/) > [Since FDR's New Deal, corporations and wealthy families have been non-stop finding new ways to get tax breaks, deregulation and entitlements from the government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/since-fdr-s-new-deal-corporations-and-wealthy-families-have-been-non/) [Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/) > [When scientists are asked what they are working on, their response is seldom 'Finding the origin of the universe' or 'Seeking to cure cancer.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/when-scientists-are-asked-what-they-are-working-on-their-response-is/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [An important finding is that by determining the genome sequences of an entire family, one can identify many DNA sequencing errors and thus greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/an-important-finding-is-that-by-determining-the-genome-sequences-of/) [Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/) > [I take my wife everywhere, but she keeps finding her way back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henny-youngman/i-take-my-wife-everywhere-but-she-keeps-finding-her-way-back/) [Henny Youngman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henny-youngman/) > [Although I'm perceived as very optimistic and upbeat, it comes out of being the opposite of that - feeling isolated or lonely, looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mcgonigal/although-i-m-perceived-as-very-optimistic-and-upbeat-it-comes-out-of/) [Jane McGonigal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mcgonigal/) > [I've never had trouble finding inspiration for new songs, no matter what I'm doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-kowalczyk/i-ve-never-had-trouble-finding-inspiration-for-new-songs-no-matter/) [Ed Kowalczyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-kowalczyk/) > [It's true, I'm the youngest, highest-grossing French director. 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Just don't give up finding it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emel-oner/there-is-a-promise-land-just-don-t-give-up-finding-it/) Emel oner Browse all 1,256 Finding quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Coming out as a gay man, it was very much about finding my own identity and dealing with labeling.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Cameron Mitchell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/coming-out-as-a-gay-man-it-was-very-much-about-finding-my-own/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Finding" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/coming-out-as-a-gay-man-it-was-very-much-about-finding-my-own/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/john-cameron-mitchell-3889_finding_coming-out-as-a-gay-man-it-was-very-much_2152645.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/john-cameron-mitchell-3889_finding_coming-out-as-a-gay-man-it-was-very-much_2152645.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/john-cameron-mitchell-3889_finding_coming-out-as-a-gay-man-it-was-very-much_2152645.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Coming out as a gay man, it was very much about finding my own identity and dealing with labeling.” — John Cameron Mitchell", "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": "John Cameron Mitchell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Coming out as a gay man,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/coming-out-as-a-gay-man-it-was-very-much-about-finding-my-own/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/coming-out-as-a-gay-man-it-was-very-much-about-finding-my-own/#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 } } ] } ```