June is celebrated as Pride Month — a time to celebrate queer voices and remember why diversity matters. Art, especially literature, gives people the power to express themselves and their beliefs through words. Through our words, we become visible not just for ourselves but also for those who feel unheard. Have you ever read a book or listened to a speech and thought, “Wow. That rings so true I can feel it reverberating in my bones”? Regardless of whether you have felt that way before or not, I hope the following quotes spark a powerful connection!
Prideful quotes that will make you smile
“Queer people are the bravest people I know. They are so fierce and so fabulous. They inspire me every day.”
Sarah Waters
A Welsh novelist, Sarah Waters wrote Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith, which are both lesbian romances that take place in the Victorian era.
“We are here to be fully expressed. Is there any other way to be?”
David Bowie
“There’s nothing wrong with you. There’s a lot wrong with the world you live in.”
Chris Colfer
Whether you know him as Kurt Hummel from Glee or as the author of The Land of Stories series, Chris Colfer is an iconic gay artist. This quote reminds queer people that they can accept themselves even if those around them do not.
“Everyone should just be who they want to be. It’s tough to justify somebody having to answer to someone else about stuff like that.”
Harry Styles
“Nature made a mistake, which I have corrected.”
Christine Jorgensen
She was one of the first people to experience gender reassignment surgery. Jorgensen did not feel like herself in a male body, so she transitioned to become the person she was meant to be.
“You don’t need to have big hairy feet to read The Hobbit, why should you be gay to read a gay book?”
Adriano Bulla, author of The Road to London
“And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love cannot be killed or swept aside.
I sing Vanessa’s symphony, Eliza tells her story. Now fill the world with music, love, and pride.”
Lin-Manuel Miranda
If you don’t know who this wonderful and talented man is, please go listen to Hamilton right now! Or just listen to Hamilton if you want. It’s amazing. Anyway, he said this during his Tony Award acceptance speech in 2017.
Reflective quotes on the queer experience
“Everybody’s journey is individual. If you fall in love with a boy, you fall in love with a boy. The fact that many Americans consider it a disease says more about them than it does about homosexuality.”
James Baldwin
An openly gay Black American civil rights activist and author, James Baldwin wrote many books, plays, and essays. One of the author’s most groundbreaking stories about a queer relationship is his novel Giovanni’s Room.
“Growing up, my nose was constantly stuck in a book. Growing up as a lesbian, I was told over and over and over by the lack of gayness in said books that I did not exist. That I wasn’t important enough to tell stories about. That I was invisible. Why are we telling our kids this?”
Sarah Diemer, author of The Dark Wife
“I was not ladylike, nor was I manly. I was something else altogether. There were so many different ways to be beautiful.”
Michael Cunningham, author of The Hours
“I’m not missing a minute of this. It’s the revolution!”
Sylvia Rivera
This was a popular rallying cry during the Stonewall Riots of 1969, which were a series of uprisings against police raids of gay bars in New York City. Rivera was a queer Latina woman present at the Stonewall Riots who identified as a drag queen and transgender person.
Powerful quotes about queer rights that will make you think
“It takes no compromise to give people their rights … it takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no political deal to give people freedom. It takes no survey to remove repression.”
Harvey Milk
An American politician, Harvey Milk was the first openly gay person to hold public office in the state of California. He was elected in 1978 and advocated for queer rights.
“Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It’s not pie.”
Jesse Williams
The Tony Award winner was also Dr. Jackson Avery on the medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. This is personally one of my favorite quotes from the list because it reminds everyone in simple terms that an equal world is possible!
“People cling to these firm ideas [about gender] because it makes people feel safe. But if we could just celebrate all the wonderful complexities of people, the world would be such a better place.”
Elliot Page
I know it says at the top that there are fifteen quotes, but I can’t resist adding another! Here’s one more from our queer king, lead singer of Queen:
“I’m as gay as a daffodil, my dear!”
Freddie Mercury
Identifying as queer and proudly showing the world who you are can be terrifying, especially at a time when people are harmed or silenced for their identities and beliefs. These quotes are meant to inspire the LGBTQ+ community and show that through literature and other art forms, our voices can be heard and are amplified when we stand together. This might seem cliche and found only in children’s fairytale books, but love is truly one of the most powerful forces in the world. Love counteracts hate and loneliness, showing those who need it most that they have just as much of a right as anyone else to be here and that they are not alone. And stories are a love language meant to connect us across space and time. Isn’t it magical?
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