The I'm proud to be straight thread

[LuisDantas]

Then what's with the "Proud to be LGBT" thread?

After all it's just a preference.

Have you ever been pressured into shame for being heterosexual?

If so, maybe I can see where you are coming from.

Otherwise, I advise taking a closer look at the lives of LGBTQI people. They have to deal with a lot and it is only fair to let them exercise a bit of pride for the self-acceptance and courage that is so valuable to them.

 

[FranklinMichaelV.3]

I've been struggling with my straightness for 20 years. It started when I saw my first barbie doll and promptly removed its clothing.I was five when I first liked a girl. I wasn't sure how I should feel.

I mean there was so much societal pressures about how gross girls were.With them carrying that raging disease cooties. I had thought I would never like a girl, but as I got older my urges brought on by the devil overwhelmed my mind and my flesh gave in and I kissed my first girl at 7. If only I had known that such a small act of affection would lead me down a path of hedonistic, animalistic, uncontrollable heterosexuality, I would never have done it.

But now I am slowly accepting my heterosexuality and do not feel shame to walk down the streets holding the hands of a woman.

I'M HERE! I'M NOT QUEER! DEAL WITH IT!

 

[Wherenextcolumbus]

This is pathetic

 

[Revoltingest]

Oh, the shame of the "straight closet" or the "fauxmo"!
[youtube]G8e4DwQahqw[/youtube]
the straight closet - YouTube

 

[BSM1]

What's not to be proud about. After all, I was born this way.

 

[Revoltingest]

What's not to be proud about. After all, I was born this way.

Society tries to impose shame upon you. Don't let them.
Coming out as straight takes courage.
[youtube]WrOdbg2hSWQ[/youtube]
REALLY FUNNY! STRAIGHT KID comes out to Gay Parents - YouTube

 

[tumbleweed41]

I'm going to have to give you frubals for this. In fact, frubals all around for those who are standing up to homophobia, hatred and discrimination.

By the way, I'm straight and PROUD to be an ally.

Amen!!
Strait and proud ally here also!

 

[Luke Morningstar]

Then what's with the "Proud to be LGBT" thread?

After all it's just a preference.

Well, when your entire culture tells you that you are different, people find that they need to remind themselves that their identity is not something to be ashamed of, but something to be proud of, something that is a part of them to be embraced.

It's not just a preference, it's a way to combat oppression. It combats the idea from the 20th century that being homosexual was a deviant illness (it's where the term homosexual comes from) to be treated by chemical castration or brainwashing. The "Scared Straight" style cults used to be much more than fringe religious groups, but intertwined with our science and medical conclusions.

Being straight is just a preference, because we don't have to come out to anyone. It's assumed you're straight - unless you talk, walk, or dress differently enough that people will make different assumptions - you don't have to do anything to have your sexual identity accepted by the culture around you.

I am not proud to be straight, because so many people like me use their sexuality to oppress other people, and try to make them feel bad about being public with who they are, ignoring that nearly every movie and TV show features many heterosexual relationships without the need to make it the topic of the show. They judge people for acting, looking, or talking differently. They make assumptions that the sex you like the most defines your entire person.

I am straight and incredibly appreciative that I happen to fit into the majority and don't have to struggle with that part of my identity except when I choose to.

 

[Tiberius]

I'm not proud to be straight. It's just a thing. I'm proud of many things. I'm proud of the several pieces of music I have written. I'm proud of the novelisation I did of the Star Trek episode "The Best of Both Worlds." I'm proud of the many skills I have learnt in my time on this planet.

But to be proud of my sexual orientation, I don't get it. I never had to work at that, I never expended any effort. It's just a part of me. I'm no more proud of being straight than I am of being right-handed.

 

[Galen.Iksnudnard]

I'm not proud to be straight. It's just a thing. I'm proud of many things. I'm proud of the several pieces of music I have written. I'm proud of the novelisation I did of the Star Trek episode "The Best of Both Worlds." I'm proud of the many skills I have learnt in my time on this planet.

But to be proud of my sexual orientation, I don't get it. I never had to work at that, I never expended any effort. It's just a part of me. I'm no more proud of being straight than I am of being right-handed.

I have the same feelings.

I am proud that I earned a Ph.D and that I won a poetry contest recently. I am proud of the fact that I am a straight ally of the LGBTQI community, but NOT proud to be straight.

I am also a white male and NOT particularly proud that I am a white male.

 

[Poeticus]

I am proud of the fact that I am a straight ally of the LGBTQI community, but NOT proud to be straight.

I am also a white male and NOT particularly proud that I am a white male.

Does being in the majority have something to do with these views? Just asking.

 

[Galen.Iksnudnard]

Does being in the majority have something to do with these views? Just asking.

To me it's just not something worth being proud of. It's kind of like being proud of being tall or short or thin or having blue eyes. You did not work for those things, and thus you cannot necessarily claim "pride" over these things.

Also why should I be proud? I've had to overcome far less, and probably have had things much easier as a straight white male in the US than other people in our society. As a male, I haven't had to accept 75¢ for very dollar the opposite sex makes. As a white person, my ancestors weren't subjected to slavery or and I haven't been systematically excluded from society in a way that affected my educational and economic opportunities. As a straight person, I never had to be worried about being fired for who I loved or being beat up because of who I was.

Gay pride actually makes sense considering that sometimes they have to overcome a lot just to get by.

Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting There Is | Whatever

 

[Caladan]

It took me long years of shame and struggling with my inner demons to finally admit it... I am a heterosexual male. 10 years ago uttering these words would have been unthinkable. Years of parental and social expectations for me to bring home a nice guy, and the questioning of how come I feel so comfortable around women. Finally, I do not feel cornered, shamed, damaged, or sinful. I can now proudly proclaim: I AM A HETEROSEXUAL MALE!
I worked long and hard, fought long and hard, enough to be proud of my personal and social identity.

/Sarcasm

 

[Revoltingest]

Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting There Is | Whatever

These anti-white anti-straight-male articles exhibit such myopia. Carping victim groups members look at us with awe & envy, yet they fail to see that whatever advantages we have, we also manufacture our own problems, eg, the stress of aggressive investing, the work to maintain & improve a lavish home, the dedication to a demanding job which supports the poor, numerous trysts to find a mate, & sacrifices to implement the white man's burden. None of us escapes this terrible treadmill. Others have it so easy in comparison. No wonder that gay folk are always singing Broadway show tunes, & black folk are always dancing!

 

[Erebus]

I'm neither proud to be straight nor am I ashamed of it, "I just am". What I'm proud of is my ability to paint and write (one of my stories is in the process of being published at the moment)
What I'm ashamed of is my serial killing. I really need to cut down.

 

[dawny0826]

I look forward to the day when people can focus on their contributions towards humanity, not their sexuality.

 

[philbo]

I am straight and proud! There I said it! I love hot women!

That's "proud" as in definition 3? "Slightly projecting from a surface" (though the example they use is a bit worrying)

On-topic: I don't feel "proud" to be heterosexual, it's just something I am; I can, however, see the difference for homosexuals - after all, they've been told they should be ashamed of their sexuality for centuries; they've been criminalized and even killed for it - in some places in the world, they still are.

But we're moving in the right direction, even though there's people who still try and look down on others for their sexuality; I look forward to a time when nobody needs to try and stand out and show pride for something which isn't really anybody else's business. I doubt it'll be in my lifetime, though. Until then, I'm quite happy that there's a "gay pride" movement and think that anyone who believes we need a mirroring "straight pride" really doesn't get what it's all about.