“I was not "shoe." That's a misuse of the term "shoe," which is derived from "white shoe."” Quote by Kevin Sessums
“There was a Yale even before Larry [Kramer] and I got there, and there were three designations of students: "white shoe," "brown shoe," and "black shoe." "White shoe" people were kind of the ur-preppies from high-class backgrounds. "Brown shoe" people were kind of the high school student-council presidents who were snatched up and brushed up a little bit to be sent out into the world. "Black shoe" people were beyond the pale. They were chemistry majors and things like that.” PeopleWorldKindLittlesSchoolThreeBitsBlackPresidentWhiteClassStudentsMajorsLittle BitHigh SchoolShoesBackgroundsBrownChemistryPaleCouncilLarryYaleDesignationHigh School StudentsKramerHigh ClassWhite ShoesStudent Council Author:Kevin Sessums
“"Weenie" was definitely a word we used at Yale back then. But I'm not sure you were one, Larry [Kramer]. Also, you were going by a different name.” DifferentUsedNamesNot SureLarryYaleDifferent NamesKramer Author:Kevin Sessums
“I believe we really became friends [with Larry Kramer] when we bonded at our fifteenth class reunion in 1972.” BelieveI BelieveClassLarryReunionKramerClass Reunion Author:Kevin Sessums
“Larry [Kramer] and I often disagree. There was the whole meshuggaas we went through about his donating his papers to Yale, and I disagreed with him on a number of things about that. You wanted a gay center.” WholeWantedNumbersGayPaperDisagreePapersLarryYaleKramer Author:Kevin Sessums
“[Larry Kramer] said, when it was all about to fall through, "You betrayed me, Calvin." And I said, "I resent that. I was against you from the beginning."” SaidFallBetrayedResentLarryKramer Author:Kevin Sessums
“I had no administrative function at the New Yorker. I am what we used to call in construction back in Kansas City where I grew up "a dog-ass subcontractor."” UsedCitiesDogGrewGrew UpFunctionAssConstructionNew YorkersKansasAdministrativeKansas City Author:Kevin Sessums
“I get rejections from the New Yorker. When I had to give a little talk to the people graduating from the MBA program at Columbia who were going into writing and filmmaking and everything, I said, "When I tried to think of what to say, the only subject I thought was appropriate for people doing what you're going to do is rejection." That's what it's all about.” PeopleThinkingGivingWritingLittlesSaidSubjectsProgramRejectionAppropriateGraduatesFilmmakingNew YorkersColumbiaMbaMba Programs Author:Kevin Sessums
“Everyone disappoints [Larry Kramer]. So it's not a problem for him either way.” WayProblemDisappointLarryKramer Author:Kevin Sessums
“Those people are seen, I assume, by Larry [Kramer] as writing partly about gay issues and problems, whether it's on the surface or not, and I am not. But another thing is when we met, there still wasn't exactly a gay/straight divide in the minds of a lot of straight people. There weren't any gay people, as far as we knew, at Yale.” PeopleWritingMindStillsProblemIssuesMetsGayAssumingSurfaceDividesLarryGay PeopleYaleKramer Author:Kevin Sessums
“There was a lot really awful about that time [in fifties] if you were gay.” IfsGayAwful Author:Kevin Sessums