--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I first started to write, I was…" description: "\"When I first started to write, I was aware of being queer, but I didn't write about it. Queer poems would probably not have been accepted by the editor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/156/thom-gunn-15259_about_when-i-first-started-to-write-i-was-awar_2852088.png" --- # When I first started to write, I was aware of being queer… ![“When I first started to write, I was aware of being queer, but I didn't write about it. Queer poems would probably not have been accepted by the editors I sent them to.” quote by Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/156/thom-gunn-15259_about_when-i-first-started-to-write-i-was-awar_2852088.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/156/thom-gunn-15259_about_when-i-first-started-to-write-i-was-awar_2852088.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/156/thom-gunn-15259_about_when-i-first-started-to-write-i-was-awar_2852088.png) > “When I first started to write, I was aware of being queer, but I didn't write about it. Queer poems would probably not have been accepted by the editors I sent them to.” [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early queer writers often concealed identity due to editorial bias, limiting authentic expression. **In simple terms:** Queer writers hid identity because of rejection. Key Takeaway Write authentically despite potential bias. Themes identity literature bias authenticity Mood empathetic hopeful Type social literary When to use this quote - creative writing - activism - personal essays - literary criticism Key Concepts queer studies publishing industry Questions to Reflect On - How can you support marginalized voices? - What changes in publishing could help? A Different Perspective Fear of rejection can stifle creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Poems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poems/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Queer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/queer/) ## Related quotes > [Being queer, I would love to write a queer Christmas song one day, I think would be cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-flip/being-queer-i-would-love-to-write-a-queer-christmas-song-one-day-i/) [G Flip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-flip/) > [“He kept telling me I was queer, and I didn't like it. The word, I mean. 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By the time I retired, the English department was proud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/it-was-difficult-being-a-teacher-and-out-of-the-closet-in-the-50s-by/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [We tend to put poems into factions. And it restricts our reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/we-tend-to-put-poems-into-factions-and-it-restricts-our-reading/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [We control the content of our dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/we-control-the-content-of-our-dreams/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [Deep feeling doesn't make for good poetry. A way with language would be a bit of help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/deep-feeling-doesn-t-make-for-good-poetry-a-way-with-language-would/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [My old teacher's definition of poetry is an attempt to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/my-old-teacher-s-definition-of-poetry-is-an-attempt-to-understand/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [I admired what my students were writing, but I think their improvement doesn't directly result from me but from being in a class, being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/i-admired-what-my-students-were-writing-but-i-think-their-improvement/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [One joins the movement in a valueless world, Choosing it, till both hurler and the hurled, One moves as well, always toward, toward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/one-joins-the-movement-in-a-valueless-world-choosing-it-till-both/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [As humans we look at things and think about what we've looked at. 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