--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Gays are not liberated yet. Their…" description: "\"Gays are not liberated yet. Their struggle is just beginning in an American culture that is still essentially fearful about homosexuality. But some mot..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e40/liz-smith-33390_american-culture_gays-are-not-liberated-yet-their-struggl_1865873.jpg" --- # Gays are not liberated yet. Their struggle is just… ![“Gays are not liberated yet. Their struggle is just beginning in an American culture that is still essentially fearful about homosexuality. But some mothers of gays now march proudly in Gay Liberation paradestheir children are just as precious to them as the children being defended by anti-gay…” quote by Liz Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e40/liz-smith-33390_american-culture_gays-are-not-liberated-yet-their-struggl_1865873.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e40/liz-smith-33390_american-culture_gays-are-not-liberated-yet-their-struggl_1865873.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e40/liz-smith-33390_american-culture_gays-are-not-liberated-yet-their-struggl_1865873.jpg) > “Gays are not liberated yet. Their struggle is just beginning in an American culture that is still essentially fearful about homosexuality. But some mothers of gays now march proudly in Gay Liberation paradestheir children are just as precious to them as the children being defended by anti-gay forces. No matter how anyone feels on this explosive subject, mothers and their gay children are here to stay and everyone might as well get onwith dealing with, understanding, and accepting this fact.” [Liz Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The LGBTQ+ community still faces widespread fear and resistance, but activism and family support are growing, signaling a new phase of struggle and visibility. **In simple terms:** Gay rights are still contested, yet families are increasingly supportive. Key Takeaway Support and acceptance are essential for progress. Themes equality family activism visibility social change Mood hopeful determined empathetic Type advocacy inspirational social commentary When to use this quote - Pride parades - family discussions - policy advocacy - educational workshops Key Concepts LGBTQ+ rights social stigma intergenerational support Questions to Reflect On - How can families become allies? - What strategies reduce societal fear? A Different Perspective Progress can be slow and backlash may intensify. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-culture/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Gay liberation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay-liberation/) ## Related quotes > [As a mom to biological children and adopted gay children all around the world, nothing gives my heart strings a tug as much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-visage/as-a-mom-to-biological-children-and-adopted-gay-children-all-around/) [Michelle Visage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-visage/) > [“I want to live in a world where gay children don't have to feel like outsiders, don't have to play be different rules, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristina-kuzmic/i-want-to-live-in-a-world-where-gay-children-don-t-have-to-feel-like/) Kristina Kuzmic > [The terrifying message of gay liberation is that men are capable of loving their brothers. It should be sweet news to every womanin the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-rule/the-terrifying-message-of-gay-liberation-is-that-men-are-capable-of/) [Jane Rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-rule/) > [ By the time \[of modern\] generation was coming of age sexually, there was already this idea of safe sex. But that didn't exist for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/by-the-time-of-modern-generation-was-coming-of-age-sexually-there-was/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [ We \[Panthers\] have not said much about the homosexual at all, but we must relate to the homosexual movement because it is a real… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-newton/we-panthers-have-not-said-much-about-the-homosexual-at-all-but-we/) [Huey Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-newton/) > [I am old school, I joined the gay liberation movement in 1972. If you had told me in 1972 that in the year 2009…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleve-jones/i-am-old-school-i-joined-the-gay-liberation-movement-in-1972-if-you/) [Cleve Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleve-jones/) > [“Gay liberation did not create gay promiscuity. There was sex before there were marches, politics, or books – it was the best reason for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/gay-liberation-did-not-create-gay-promiscuity-there-was-sex-before/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [Gay Liberation? I ain't against it, it's just that there's nothing in it for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/gay-liberation-i-ain-t-against-it-it-s-just-that-there-s-nothing-in/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [Karla Jay's intimate account of life in the early years of feminism and gay liberation is as irresistible as a novel, but as credible,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/karla-jay-s-intimate-account-of-life-in-the-early-years-of-feminism/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I think, with the gay liberation movement has had need for heroes and heroines, and it would be rather nice to have Abraham Lincoln…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/i-think-with-the-gay-liberation-movement-has-had-need-for-heroes-and/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [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/) > [I have no personal desire to get married whatsoever and I certainly have no desire to be a soldier. I'm old school, I'm from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleve-jones/i-have-no-personal-desire-to-get-married-whatsoever-and-i-certainly/) [Cleve Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleve-jones/) > [My own strong feeling was that the gay liberation movement really got national attraction in the truest sense of the word later in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/my-own-strong-feeling-was-that-the-gay-liberation-movement-really-got/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) ## More by Liz Smith > [What you become is what counts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-smith/what-you-become-is-what-counts/) [Liz Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-smith/) > [Gossip is just news running ahead of itself in a red satin dress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-smith/gossip-is-just-news-running-ahead-of-itself-in-a-red-satin-dress/) [Liz Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-smith/) > [No matter who you are or what you plan to do in life, learn to type!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-smith/no-matter-who-you-are-or-what-you-plan-to-do-in-life-learn-to-type/) [Liz Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-smith/) > [Do not join encounter groups. If you enjoy being made to feel inadequate, call your mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-smith/do-not-join-encounter-groups-if-you-enjoy-being-made-to-feel/) [Liz Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-smith/) > [To deny we need and want power is to deny that we hope to be effective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-smith/to-deny-we-need-and-want-power-is-to-deny-that-we-hope-to-be-effective/) [Liz Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-smith/) > [The marriage didn't work out but the separation is great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-smith/the-marriage-didn-t-work-out-but-the-separation-is-great/) [Liz Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-smith/) > [All weddings, except those with shotguns in evidence, are wonderful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-smith/all-weddings-except-those-with-shotguns-in-evidence-are-wonderful/) [Liz Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-smith/) > [Gossip is news running ahead of itself in a red satin dress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-smith/gossip-is-news-running-ahead-of-itself-in-a-red-satin-dress/) [Liz Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-smith/) > [You can't build a reputation on what you intend to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-smith/you-can-t-build-a-reputation-on-what-you-intend-to-do/) [Liz Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-smith/) > [One of the best parts of growing older? You can flirt all you like since you've become harmless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-smith/one-of-the-best-parts-of-growing-older-you-can-flirt-all-you-like/) [Liz Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-smith/) > [Begin somewhere; you cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-smith/begin-somewhere-you-cannot-build-a-reputation-on-what-you-intend-to-do/) [Liz Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-smith/) > [The greatest of all mistakes is to do nothing because you can only do a little. Do what you can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-smith/the-greatest-of-all-mistakes-is-to-do-nothing-because-you-can-only-do/) [Liz Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-smith/) > [Charlton Heston announced again today that he is suffering from Alzheimer's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-smith/charlton-heston-announced-again-today-that-he-is-suffering-from/) [Liz Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-smith/) > [Good gossip is just what's going on. Bad gossip is stuff that is salacious, mean, and bitchy; the kind most people really enjoy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-smith/good-gossip-is-just-what-s-going-on-bad-gossip-is-stuff-that-is/) [Liz Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-smith/) [Explore all 15 Liz Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-smith/) ## More American culture quotes > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [“Every twenty minutes on the Appalachian Trail, Katz and I walked farther than the average American walks in a week. For 93 percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/every-twenty-minutes-on-the-appalachian-trail-katz-and-i-walked/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [The Soviet Union is like the Cross without Christ, while American culture is like Christ without the Cross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-soviet-union-is-like-the-cross-without-christ-while-american/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“information, in a stream-of-consciousness soliloquy that revealed the extent to which he had internalised the adversarial fragmentation of American culture and made it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/information-in-a-stream-of-consciousness-soliloquy-that-revealed-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [ \[If\] we can celebrate that in a way that celebrates our love for New England as well as our love for the Italian culture… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/if-we-can-celebrate-that-in-a-way-that-celebrates-our-love-for-new/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) > [I think in American culture, we put value on economic success but tell people you don't have to be economically successful to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/i-think-in-american-culture-we-put-value-on-economic-success-but-tell/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [The most important thing about Jazz at Lincoln Center is the fact that it's the first time that perhaps the most important art form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-vinoly/the-most-important-thing-about-jazz-at-lincoln-center-is-the-fact/) [Rafael Vinoly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-vinoly/) > [And certainly in British culture, as I'm sure it's the same with American culture, we warm to cultures where people can make fun of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omid-djalili/and-certainly-in-british-culture-as-i-m-sure-it-s-the-same-with/) [Omid Djalili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omid-djalili/) > [Canada could have enjoyed: English government, French culture, and American know-how. Instead it ended up with: English know-how, French government, and American culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/canada-could-have-enjoyed-english-government-french-culture-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In contemporary American culture, the religions are more and more treated as just passing beliefs - almost as fads - rather than as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-l-carter/in-contemporary-american-culture-the-religions-are-more-and-more/) [Stephen L. Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-l-carter/) > [Being educated in the United States gave me a good understanding of American culture. I think I got a lot of influence from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masayoshi-son/being-educated-in-the-united-states-gave-me-a-good-understanding-of/) [Masayoshi Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masayoshi-son/) > [“From the isolated, individualistic perspective of most white evangelicals and many other Americans, there really is no race problem other than bad interpersonal relationships.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-smith/from-the-isolated-individualistic-perspective-of-most-white/) [Christian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-smith/) > [I got interested in the American culture war back in 2004, and it's one of the only growth stocks I've ever invested in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/i-got-interested-in-the-american-culture-war-back-in-2004-and-it-s/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [In American culture at large, but especially in African American culture, it's a sign of weakness to ask for help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/in-american-culture-at-large-but-especially-in-african-american/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) [Browse all 437 American culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-culture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Gays are not liberated yet. 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