Tag: Nonfiction

Quotes

Quotes from Between Gay and Straight – Lisa M. Tillman-Healy

Geoff W

“What about the economics and politics of appearance? Don’t entire industries flourish by manufacturing discontent over so-called problems (from thin hair to wide hips) whose solutions always are product based? Is it a coincidence that the more women and gay men advance socially, the more unattainable our standards of attractiveness become? At the same time, are we still so disempowered–personally and politically–that we cling to appearance because it offers at least the illusion fo control? Isn’t it true that the more emotional, physical, and economic resources we can be convinced to expend on our own bodies, the fewer we have left for the social body? Whose interests are served by keeping straight women and gay men in a perpetual state of anxiety?” – 119

“Standing there, I consider that for some time, I’ve been thinking of Doug and me as ‘model heterosexuals.’ But now I wonder how many could follow our lead. How many straight men could get used to being presumed gay? How many straight women could adjust to the sometimes disconcerting mix of conspicuousness and invisibility? How many straight couples would all but leave behind their old worlds’ and how many of those wouldn’t fit into this one because they don’t enjoy the club scene, because they lack disposable income, or because they have family commitments? What are the possibilities for border crossing? And what are the consequences?” – 156

– Between Gay and Straight: Understanding Friendship Across Sexual Orientation

Quotes

Quote from Blood Done Sign My Name – Timothy Tyson

Geoff W

“When I was only three years old, Mama found me on the floor with a book pulled tightly against my face, sobbing hard. When she asked me why on earth I was crying, I told her, ‘Because I can’t get in the book.’ Now, I could not read at that age. What had happened, really, is that my mother had read so many books to me, so vividly, so beautifully, that I expected to be able to pick up the book and plunge instantly into beautiful depths of the imagination, and was disappointed I could not. In later years, of course, I found exactly that kind of satisfaction in books, and I owe all that to Mama.” – 355

Quotes

Quote from Homocons: Rise of the Gay Right – Richard Goldstein

Geoff W

“That’s why same-sex marriage seems so important for many gay activists at this point in our history. It stands for civic striving, which is not the same as social climbing. This is a crucial distinction, one that requires progressives to support the right to do what they may not think is right. If a single principle sums up our movement, it’s that we ought to have the same option as straights. Critics of marriage can work for the day when people reject this institution, but they must also struggle for a time when people make that choice because they are free to, not because they must.” – 106

“While it is a mistake to conflate pop culture with social reality, it certainly can wean people from their fear and loathing of the other, especially when its tropes amplify the values of liberal society. Among these principles is the conviction that identity is not destiny. Though this ideal is often honored in the breach, its application to women and gays fuels the engine of fundamentalism, which is not just a religious orientation but a belief in the fixed nature of sexual and ultimately social hierarchies. By challenging this order, gay liberation is central to the culture wars and no doubt the coming battle over same-sex marriage will be a culminating event in that conflict.” – 113