Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 13 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 19 years ago by
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- If gay people stick rainbow stickers on the windows of their cars, etc., and a straight person does the same thing, what's the difference? Why do people get in a big huff about this? It is our right just as much as anyone else's to be proud of who we are. Just because a person is proud to be straight does not mean he or she is anti-gay.
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Name : Victoria B., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Puerto Rican/Spaniard, Age : 24, City : Lindsay, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,there are stickers that bear the slogan 'straight but not narrow'. i know it's not as direct as 'straight and proud', but the reality is that people are hardly ever caused to feel ashamed for being straight in this culture so restating your pride sends a dubious message. consider if you saw me walking down the street with a 'proud to be white' slogan across my chest. would take it at face value, or would you figure i had some sort of agenda?User Detail :
Name : Justin26893, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, City : chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,..Well, for one thing, there are no straight symbols like rainbows or pink triangles. What exactly would the straight people stick on their car--a picture of a man and a woman copulating?User Detail :
Name : Natalie20089, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Religion : Catholic, Age : 17, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : actress, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class,Being straight is pretty much considered the 'default' orientation in our culture. Since nobody opresses straight people because they're straight, it seems kind of silly for us to call attention to ourselves with 'straight pride' paraphernalia. However, gay people who display the rainbow gear are likely trying to show people that those who are gay are really very much like everyone else. To do so, they have to say, 'Look, I'm gay! Here's my rainbow sticker.' That way, you can say, 'Oh, I wouldn't have known you were gay without the rainbow sticker. I guess that means you aren't that different from all the straight people out there'. And why shouldn't they be proud of who they are? If they show us that they aren't ashamed of their orientation, eventually we'll all hopefully get the message that being gay is nothing to be ashamed _of_.User Detail :
Name : Stephanie-V27776, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 23, City : Rather Not Say, State : NA Country : Canada, Occupation : Website Developer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,It's a matter of the angle you approach it from, the history and the unspoken implications. Just think about what would happen if you went and told your family, your friends and your co-workers, 'I'm gay.' In the not-so-distant past, you'd have been met with scandal and a jail sentence and labeled mentally ill. So I think a lot rests on the rest of the sentence that is left unsaid. In one case, it's, 'No, I'm not a criminal, I'm not mentally ill, I'm not doing anything wrong - I'm proud to be gay.' But by implication, if you say, 'I'm proud to be straight,' the unspoken other half is, 'because I wouldn't want to be gay even if you paid me.'Compare it to black pride - it's the underdog, coming through from years of oppression, and being told that you have to be ashamed of who you are, and saying: 'No, I don't. I'm proud of who I am.' If you've grown up with everyone - law, culture, everything - telling you you have to be ashamed of being straight, then you can turn around and say, 'No, you're wrong, I'm proud of being straight.' Until then, you're just reinforcing the existing prejudice.
Imagine that I've just told you I'm proud to be white. Now go and re-examine that last sentence of yours - you'll find it's wrong.
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Name : Sarah, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 20, City : Peel, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Social class : Middle class,There's a pretty simple reason behind it, mainly that straight people were never oppressed in such a manner. I know it's an old argument, but were people killed during the Holocaust for being straight? No. Day after day, are kids in high schools harassed for being straight? No. It's about being proud of who you are in spite of the horrible things that have happened and are happening. Although, I am tired of the whole gay pride phenomenon. The way I feel is 'Get over it', but it is kind of nice to live in a time where it's almost 'okay' to be gay.User Detail :
Name : Stephanie-K, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Age : 16, City : North Arlington, State : NJ Country : United States,I agree with you to a certain point. When you tell me you are proud to be white, I am glad that you are. I don't think you are hateful against others who are not white. We should all be proud of who we are, all the way around. No one should tell another to shut up or anything, and no one should judge the other, in any way. If you're proud to be gay, great. If you're proud to be straight, great. Just don't dog the other person for how they feel. I feel if you're proud to be you, then let me be proud to be me. Right?User Detail :
Name : Victoria B., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Puerto Rican/Spaniard, Age : 24, City : Lindsay, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,It's fine to be proud to be who you are. Period. What you may be finding that people are reacting to is not the fact that you are comfortable with your sexuality, but that, by declaring yourself to be a member of the norm, you are not really saying anything, so why say it at all? It's like me saying I'm proud to be an air-breather. Is that really something to be proud of? No. It's just what I am, by nature. When I say I'm proud to be lesbian I am not REALLY saying I'm proud to be a lesbian (which is what I am by nature) - I am saying that I am proud that I have been able to overcome the societal pressure to either lie to myself and others or to be ashamed of living truthfully. I am proud that I have overcome - to a certain extent - some of the internalized oppression that has been pounded into my head since before I was even able to admit who I really am. Hope this makes sense.User Detail :
Name : Laura W., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 40, City : Los Angeles, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Systems Analyst, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,...It's not about being proud to be gay (or of a certain ethnicity, or religion, or female), as one would be proud of winning a marathon. It's about not being ASHAMED of that fact. It's about being proud to be oneself. Sadly, the world sometimes needs to see a parade to be reminded that being different from 'society' isn't a shameful thing.User Detail :
Name : padraigin, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 27, City : San Francisco, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : wholesaler, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,People in this world are still primative thinkers. Ask yourself this question. Why is it OK for blacks to have BET (Black Entertainment Television) and whites to be condemned to have a White Television Network???User Detail :
Name : Alka Seltzer, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : American Indian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 42, City : Atlanta, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Transportation, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,I'm straight. I'm in the majority. There's no reason for me to be proud of being straight. Many pride movements come about because the original orientation :gay, black, Asian or other minorities was seen as not desirable. It's a natural progression. When whatever orientation is accepted, there's no need to be proud of it. Pride is like saying 'Although you consider what I am to be bad, I know who I am and I'm proud'User Detail :
Name : Annie, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 22, City : A, State : NA Country : Spain, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,To answer your question, I suggest you read the page of the this website- www.straightpridewear/aboutus.com Are these people (the straight pride company) homophobic, are they against gay rights? Decide for yourself.User Detail :
Name : Tanith, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Disability : Autistic, Race : Irish-American, Religion : Pagan, Age : 20, City : Minneapolis, State : MN Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class,In my opinion it is OK to be proud of being straight. Of course that may irritate some people for various reasons, but that happends also to gays who show that they are proud of being gay. It is impossible to please everyone.User Detail :
Name : FB, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 29, City : Helsinki, State : NA Country : Finland, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,In an ideal world, being proud of being you should never be offensive. In the real world, people view pride in a different way: that 'pride of having 3 ears' means 'I'm proud that I have 3 ears INSTEAD of 2 like others have'. And it's that 'instead' that holds the secret. A bumper sticker that said 'I'm proud to have two legs' would be viewed as if you said 'I'm proud that I'm NOT an amputee'. Picking on minorities is generally viewed as kicking someone who's already down. Not a very charming message, unless your society saw amputees as evil, dangerous, unacceptable people. When one of the many minorities in society express pride in being what they are, it's viewed as the underdog barking a little to show that it's still alive and likes being what it is. We in the western world traditionally sympathize with the underdog. Even unpopular minorities like neo-nazis are allowed to bark and strut about, as long as they are few and relatively harmless. I hope this rant helped you a little.. I rant, and I'm proud of it!User Detail :
Name : tore-bolhøj24287, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Age : 26, City : næstved, State : NA Country : Denmark, Occupation : unemployed, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower class,
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