--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For them [LGBT group], language has to…" description: "\"For them [LGBT group], language has to say exactly what it means. \"Why aren't you proud of being gay?\" they wanted to know. \"Why are you so dark? Why a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f33/richard-rodriguez-6515_aspirin_for-them-lgbt-group-language-has-to-say_2757694.png" --- # For them \[LGBT group\], language has to say exactly what it… ![“For them [LGBT group], language has to say exactly what it means. "Why aren't you proud of being gay?" they wanted to know. "Why are you so dark? Why are you so morbid? Why are you so sad? Don't you realize, we're all okay? Let's celebrate that fact." But that is not what writers do. We don't…” quote by Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f33/richard-rodriguez-6515_aspirin_for-them-lgbt-group-language-has-to-say_2757694.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f33/richard-rodriguez-6515_aspirin_for-them-lgbt-group-language-has-to-say_2757694.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f33/richard-rodriguez-6515_aspirin_for-them-lgbt-group-language-has-to-say_2757694.png) > “For them \[LGBT group\], language has to say exactly what it means. "Why aren't you proud of being gay?" they wanted to know. "Why are you so dark? Why are you so morbid? Why are you so sad? Don't you realize, we're all okay? Let's celebrate that fact." But that is not what writers do. We don't celebrate being "okay." If you want to be okay, take an aspirin.” [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. LGBT language must be precise, yet writers shouldn’t merely celebrate “okayness” without deeper engagement. **In simple terms:** Clear language matters, but superficial acceptance isn’t enough. Key Takeaway Encourage nuanced dialogue beyond simple affirmation. Themes identity language representation activism nuance Mood thoughtful critical Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - education curricula - media guidelines - community workshops Key Concepts semantic precision social justice literary critique Questions to Reflect On - What does authentic acceptance look like? - How can language foster true inclusion? A Different Perspective Risk of tokenism remains. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aren Proud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aren-proud-1322935/) [Aspirin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspirin/) [Being gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-gay/) [Being okay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-okay/) [Celebrate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celebrate/) [Celebrate Okay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celebrate-okay-3146284/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groups/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Lgbt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lgbt/) [Lgbt Group](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lgbt-group-3146285/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Morbid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morbid/) [Okay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/okay/) [Proud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proud/) [Proud Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proud-gay-861237/) [Realize Okay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realize-okay-1146898/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [So sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/so-sad/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) ## Related quotes > [“It’s okay to celebrate yourself… It’s okay to see the best in yourself… It’s okay to be proud of yourself… It’s okay to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-lahart/it-s-okay-to-celebrate-yourself-it-s-okay-to-see-the-best-in-yourself/) [Stephanie Lahart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-lahart/) > [All that matters is that you KNOW your worth. If they don't know your worth realize that it's OKAY because they aren't meant for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/all-that-matters-is-that-you-know-your-worth-if-they-don-t-know-your/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [“Good...if you've done things you aren't proud of. It means you have a conscience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/good-if-you-ve-done-things-you-aren-t-proud-of-it-means-you-have-a/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [I'm starting to realize its okay to not know sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crapp/i-m-starting-to-realize-its-okay-to-not-know-sometimes/) [Crapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crapp/) > [What is important is that we stop and realize, 'Okay. This is fine. I can enjoy that.' But what is really important, what I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/what-is-important-is-that-we-stop-and-realize-okay-this-is-fine-i-can/) [Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/) > [Shame on those artists who aren't proud of their achievements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzi-quatro/shame-on-those-artists-who-aren-t-proud-of-their-achievements/) [Suzi Quatro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzi-quatro/) > [“If the vulnerable aren't also proud, they are crushed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/if-the-vulnerable-aren-t-also-proud-they-are-crushed/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [We’ve all done stuff we aren’t proud of. If you knew…” He shook his head. “The point is, I don’t know why you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-lynn/we-ve-all-done-stuff-we-aren-t-proud-of-if-you-knew-he-shook-his-head/) [J. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-lynn/) > [Love yourself and realize that it's OKAY to be different and that it's OKAY that you're not perfect. You are who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/love-yourself-and-realize-that-it-s-okay-to-be-different-and-that-it/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Just leave everything in the past. Because She/He not wroth it anymore.Just Stay strong & smile through the hard times. Because someday someone will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayang-lee/just-leave-everything-in-the-past-because-she-he-not-wroth-it-anymore/) [Kayang Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayang-lee/) > [You can be heartbroken about a relationship but also, from it, realize you are you, and you're okay with who you are or where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitski/you-can-be-heartbroken-about-a-relationship-but-also-from-it-realize/) [Mitski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitski/) > [“It’s always our mistakes, the things we aren’t proud of, that are the first ones to stand up, ready to be counted. That’s human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-mckinley/it-s-always-our-mistakes-the-things-we-aren-t-proud-of-that-are-the/) [Brooke McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-mckinley/) > [A lot of people come to L.A. looking for something. What I came here for, I realize now, is to be okay with myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/a-lot-of-people-come-to-l-a-looking-for-something-what-i-came-here/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [A passionate belief in your business and personal objectives can make all the difference between success and failure. If you aren't proud of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/a-passionate-belief-in-your-business-and-personal-objectives-can-make/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [It's impossible to feel good about yourself if you are doing things that you aren't proud of. . . . It's essential that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-bass/it-s-impossible-to-feel-good-about-yourself-if-you-are-doing-things/) [Ellen Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-bass/) ## More by Richard Rodriguez > [“Human unhappiness is evidence of our immortality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/human-unhappiness-is-evidence-of-our-immortality/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [In the Sacramento of the 1950s, it was as though White simply hadn't had time enough to figure Brown out. It was a busy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/in-the-sacramento-of-the-1950s-it-was-as-though-white-simply-hadn-t/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [Books should confuse. Literature abhors the typical. Literature flows to the particular, the mundane, the greasiness of paper, the taste of warm beer, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/books-should-confuse-literature-abhors-the-typical-literature-flows/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [Mexico is sex and Canada is mind. There is much about Canada that I find admirable - the treatment of immigrants, for example, particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/mexico-is-sex-and-canada-is-mind-there-is-much-about-canada-that-i/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [My decision was sparked by affirmative action. There was a point in my life when affirmative action would have meant something to me -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/my-decision-was-sparked-by-affirmative-action-there-was-a-point-in-my/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [Who knows what Yale thought it was getting when it hired Richard Rodriguez? The people who offered me the job thought there was nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/who-knows-what-yale-thought-it-was-getting-when-it-hired-richard/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [I have a good black friend who is a doctor, but he didn't become a doctor because he saw other black men who were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/i-have-a-good-black-friend-who-is-a-doctor-but-he-didn-t-become-a/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [In some ways I consider myself more Chinese, because I live in San Francisco, which is becoming a predominantly Asian city. I avoid falling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/in-some-ways-i-consider-myself-more-chinese-because-i-live-in-san/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [I think the universities have co-opted the intellectual, by and large. But there is an emerging intellectual set coming out of Washington think tanks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/i-think-the-universities-have-co-opted-the-intellectual-by-and-large/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [You don't know Mexico, man. You have trivialized Mexico. You are a fool about Mexico if you think that Mexico is five blocks. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/you-don-t-know-mexico-man-you-have-trivialized-mexico-you-are-a-fool/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [After the second chapter of Days of Obligation, which is about the death of a friend of mine from AIDS, was published in Harper's,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/after-the-second-chapter-of-days-of-obligation-which-is-about-the/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [What has happened in the last generation is that Tijuana has become a new Third World capital - much to the chagrin of Mexico…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/what-has-happened-in-the-last-generation-is-that-tijuana-has-become-a/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [We're looking at complexity. We're looking at blond kids in Beverley Hills who can speak Spanish because they have been raised by Guatemalan nannies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/we-re-looking-at-complexity-we-re-looking-at-blond-kids-in-beverley/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [Intimacy is not trapped within words. It passes through words. It passes. The truth is that intimates leave the room. Doors close. Faces move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/intimacy-is-not-trapped-within-words-it-passes-through-words-it/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [For me, diversity is not a value. Diversity is what you find in Northern Ireland. Diversity is Beirut. Diversity is brother killing brother. Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/for-me-diversity-is-not-a-value-diversity-is-what-you-find-in/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) [Explore all 99 Richard Rodriguez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) ## More Aspirin quotes > [America is the country where you can buy a lifetime supply of aspirin For one dollar and use it up in two weeks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barrymore/america-is-the-country-where-you-can-buy-a-lifetime-supply-of-aspirin/) [John Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barrymore/) > [We have had two chickens in every pot, two cars in every garage, and now we have two headaches for every aspirin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiorello-h-la-guardia/we-have-had-two-chickens-in-every-pot-two-cars-in-every-garage-and/) [Fiorello H. La Guardia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiorello-h-la-guardia/) > [Professionalism in medicine has given us medial miracles for the affluent but hospitals that will charge $35 for aspirin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-james/professionalism-in-medicine-has-given-us-medial-miracles-for-the/) [Bill James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-james/) > [“We are living in a cultural dark age of musical pollution. You put the radio on, and five minutes later you need an aspirin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vangelis/we-are-living-in-a-cultural-dark-age-of-musical-pollution-you-put-the/) [Vangelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vangelis/) > [I'm sick and tired of black and white people of good intent giving aspirin to a society that is dying of a cancerous disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-abernathy/i-m-sick-and-tired-of-black-and-white-people-of-good-intent-giving/) [Ralph Abernathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-abernathy/) > [I’ve tried that. I’ve tried aspirin, too. Rusty thinks I should smoke marijuana, and I did for a while, but it only makes me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/i-ve-tried-that-i-ve-tried-aspirin-too-rusty-thinks-i-should-smoke/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [ Nancy \[Kassebaum\] and I worked on a women's health agenda when I first came. Women were not included in the protocols at NIH, the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mikulski/nancy-kassebaum-and-i-worked-on-a-women-s-health-agenda-when-i-first/) [Barbara Mikulski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mikulski/) > [We are close to dead. There are faces and bodies like gorged maggots on the dance floor, on the highway, in the city, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/we-are-close-to-dead-there-are-faces-and-bodies-like-gorged-maggots/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: Take two aspirin and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sand/if-you-have-a-lot-of-tension-and-you-get-a-headache-do-what-it-says/) [George Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sand/) > [The pressure gets worse the older you get. The hole starts to look the size of a Bayer aspirin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-player/the-pressure-gets-worse-the-older-you-get-the-hole-starts-to-look-the/) [Gary Player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-player/) > [The sense of a long last night over civilization is back again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/the-sense-of-a-long-last-night-over-civilization-is-back-again/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [You know, back in my days, they used Bayer aspirin for contraception. The gals put it between their knees, and it wasn't that costly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foster-friess/you-know-back-in-my-days-they-used-bayer-aspirin-for-contraception/) [Foster Friess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foster-friess/) > [I don't even take aspirin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-davis/i-don-t-even-take-aspirin/) [Eric Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-davis/) > [My head is pounding. I wish the mints were aspirin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/my-head-is-pounding-i-wish-the-mints-were-aspirin/) [Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/) > [A clown is like aspirin, only he works twice as fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/a-clown-is-like-aspirin-only-he-works-twice-as-fast/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) [Browse all 105 Aspirin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspirin/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For them [LGBT group], language has to say exactly what it means. \"Why aren't you proud of being gay?\" they wanted to know. \"Why are you so dark? Why are you so morbid? Why are you so sad? Don't you realize, we're all okay? Let's celebrate that fact.\" But that is not what writers do. 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