It helps to step back and view a Movement over time. These words of wisdom by, for or about LGBTQIA people place us in context of our history.

From the pages of our past, they urge us forward as individuals and as a community to forge the next chapter.

Bayard Rustin

“The barometer for judging the character of people, in regard to human rights, is now those who consider themselves gay, homosexual, lesbian. The judgment as to wether you can trust the future, the social advancement – depending on the people – will be judged on where they come out on that question.”

Ivan E. Coyote

“I am a rare species, not a stereotype.”

Rita Mae Brown

“The only queer people are those who don’t love anybody.”

Boy George

“The struggle isn’t just about being straight or gay or transgender. It’s a human struggle. That’s always really been my kind of starting point: If you’re out there and you’re odd, come over to my house.”

Christine Jorgensen

“Everyone is both sexes in varying degrees. I am more of a woman than a man.”

Gore Vidal

“The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.”

Gloria Steinem

“There is much similarity among the challenges of transgender people and all women – from health care to harassment to discrimination in the workplace. The movements should be equally aligned.”

Gertrude Stein

“They were regular in being gay, they learned little things that are things in being gay, they learned many little things that are things in being gay, they were gay every day, they were regular, they were gay, they were gay the same length of time every day, they were gay, they were quite regularly gay.”

With this passage from “Miss Furr and Miss Skeene,” Stein is credited for popularizing the use of “gay” for “homosexual.”

Harvey Milk

“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.”

Tennessee Williams

“What is straight? A line can be straight, or a street, but the human heart, oh, no, it’s curved like a road through mountains.” – A Streetcar Named Desire

This feature also appeared in Q ATLus Magazine. Read the full issue here:

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