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The Shoulders We Stand On: Quentin Crisp and the Power of Unapologetic Self-Expression

by Bryan Alexander | May 11, 2025 | Reflections, The Shoulders We Stand On

Quentin Crisp refused to hide. His life as an artist, writer, and self-described “stately homo” challenges us to consider where we trade authenticity for approval—and what we might reclaim by letting go of that need.

One day the boy decided to let them know the way he felt inside.
He could not stand to hide it.
His mother she broke down and cried.
Oh my father, why don’t you talk to me now?
Oh my mother, do you still cry yourself to sleep?
Are you still proud of your little boy?

Don’t be afraid.
You don’t have to hideaway.

The boy, he was rejected by the people that he cared for.
It's not what they expected, but he could not keep it secret anymore.
Far from home now, waiting by the telephone.
There's a new world.
You can make it on your own.
Are you still proud of your little boy?

Don’t be afraid.
You don’t have to hideaway, no.

Don’t be afraid.
Love will mend your broken wing.
Time will fade away.
Learn to be brave.

—Hideaway by erasure from The Circus album

The Shoulders We Stand On: Quentin Crisp and the Power of Unapologetic Self-Expression

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