--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My mother and father could not handle…" description: "\"My mother and father could not handle even me being gay. We never talked about it, really.\" — Rufus Wainwright" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/rufus-wainwright-2260_about_my-mother-and-father-could-not-handle-ev_1706021.png" --- # My mother and father could not handle even me being gay… ![“My mother and father could not handle even me being gay. We never talked about it, really.” quote by Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/rufus-wainwright-2260_about_my-mother-and-father-could-not-handle-ev_1706021.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/rufus-wainwright-2260_about_my-mother-and-father-could-not-handle-ev_1706021.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/rufus-wainwright-2260_about_my-mother-and-father-could-not-handle-ev_1706021.png) > “My mother and father could not handle even me being gay. We never talked about it, really.” [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes familial rejection of their sexuality and lack of open discussion. **In simple terms:** Family struggled with accepting sexual identity. Key Takeaway Seek supportive communities. Themes family sexuality communication Mood sad reflective Type personal confessional When to use this quote - coming out - mental health - family counseling Key Concepts acceptance silence identity Questions to Reflect On - How can you open dialogue? - What support can you find? A Different Perspective Silence can cause lasting emotional harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Being gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-gay/) [Could](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/could/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Gay Talked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay-talked-1198865/) [Handle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handle/) [Handle Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handle-gay-1198864/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother and father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-and-father/) [Mother Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-father/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Talked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talked/) ## Related quotes > [Our mother and father are our way of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-mother-and-father-are-our-way-of-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [After my mother and father separated when I was 5, my mother moved to Washington, D.C., and my father remained in North Carolina. Later,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tyree-henry/after-my-mother-and-father-separated-when-i-was-5-my-mother-moved-to/) [Brian Tyree Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tyree-henry/) > [My mother and father were visionaries in Pittsburgh, part of that collective of people who were creative and active together, and I am a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamman-rucker/my-mother-and-father-were-visionaries-in-pittsburgh-part-of-that/) [Lamman Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamman-rucker/) > [There was a ton of fighting between my mother and father. The kids would be thrown into the middle, to choose sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-carter/there-was-a-ton-of-fighting-between-my-mother-and-father-the-kids/) [Nick Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-carter/) > [“To whom is he to go if you are not together, mother and father?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/to-whom-is-he-to-go-if-you-are-not-together-mother-and-father/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [The thing is that my father's story helps to communicate what was at stake with my mother, and my mother and father had so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-kennedy/the-thing-is-that-my-father-s-story-helps-to-communicate-what-was-at/) [Rory Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-kennedy/) > [“My mother and father held hands. I wondered what that was like, to hold someone’s hand. I bet you could sometimes find all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-mother-and-father-held-hands-i-wondered-what-that-was-like-to-hold/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If we can genuinely honor our mother and father we are not only at peace with ourselves but we can then give birth to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine/if-we-can-genuinely-honor-our-mother-and-father-we-are-not-only-at/) [Shirley MacLaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-maclaine/) > [Well I love my second mother and father they have been there for me. They are happy people and outgoing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mariee/well-i-love-my-second-mother-and-father-they-have-been-there-for-me/) [Jessica Mariee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mariee/) > [My father said it himself in an interview many years ago: 'Husband and wife failed, but mother and father didn't.' I've got a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-dylan/my-father-said-it-himself-in-an-interview-many-years-ago-husband-and/) [Jakob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-dylan/) > [God is the mother and father of the world. Our parents are the mother and father of this body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-is-the-mother-and-father-of-the-world-our-parents-are-the-mother/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I got my first check I was thinking my mother and father didn't make this probably in their lifetime. It's real amazing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwyane-wade/when-i-got-my-first-check-i-was-thinking-my-mother-and-father-didn-t/) [Dwyane Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwyane-wade/) > [We used to go to the jazz fest in Kansas City. And my mother and father took me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-steward/we-used-to-go-to-the-jazz-fest-in-kansas-city-and-my-mother-and/) [David Steward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-steward/) > [My mother is a huge fan of my work. 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Like the last breath of that moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-definitely-consider-poses-the-whole-album-in-fact-to-be-kind-of-a/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [You know the question: 'How do you get to Carnegie Hall?' Answer: 'Practise?' Well, in my case, I got there by not practising. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/you-know-the-question-how-do-you-get-to-carnegie-hall-answer-practise/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [I've had my ups and downs, and I definitely have a sense - in America, especially - that once you've made your mark and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-ve-had-my-ups-and-downs-and-i-definitely-have-a-sense-in-america/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [I'll always be a boulevardier. I have an extreme reverence and romantic longing for all that is decrepit and fatalistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-ll-always-be-a-boulevardier-i-have-an-extreme-reverence-and/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [I'm very blessed, mainly because even though my family is mostly in show business, it's really centered around music. My parents were very successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-m-very-blessed-mainly-because-even-though-my-family-is-mostly-in/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [Growing up, for years and years I had no idea what the plots of operas were, and that's part of what fascinated me -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/growing-up-for-years-and-years-i-had-no-idea-what-the-plots-of-operas/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [Once illness strikes, you realize there's not a lot of time for you to do what you really need to do. And there's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/once-illness-strikes-you-realize-there-s-not-a-lot-of-time-for-you-to/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [I basically have needed to go to the piano and give voice periodically to, you know - I'm always afraid to describe it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-basically-have-needed-to-go-to-the-piano-and-give-voice/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [And you will believe in love And all that it's supposed to be But just until the fish start to smell And you're struck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/and-you-will-believe-in-love-and-all-that-it-s-supposed-to-be-but/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [It's about how whenever I fall in love, I have these expectations of the experience being a perfect dream, which, of course, ruins it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/it-s-about-how-whenever-i-fall-in-love-i-have-these-expectations-of/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [Crazy as it sounds, I'm a believer in destiny and serendipity, and I have had cosmic experiences all my life. 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