Stop Saying You Have "Straight Pride." Please.

I recognize that this is not a "What Was I Thinking Wednesday" post, but I had to get this off my chest.

I have friends on both sides of the gay marriage camp.  Some of them are super excited for this big step in human rights and some of them are convinced that it’s the gateway to pedophilic marriages.  I guess how I worded that statement kind of gives away how I feel, but not entirely.

In my post on homosexuality a while back I speculated as to why my religion is opposed to gay marriage.  The church released a statement soon after the Supreme Court ruling explaining the doctrine behind our stance.  This statement also indicated that our church’s stance has not and will not change – we do not support gay marriage.  I understand and agree with that stance.

So there’s that.

However, it’s one thing to not support an action, and it’s another to go out of your way to be hurtful and rude.  I have no problem with people saying “I support heterosexual marriage;” that’s fine.  It’s the “straight pride” movement I have issues with.

What does it even mean to have “straight pride?”  That you’re proud you’ve never considered suicide purely because of your biological impulses?  That you’re proud a large portion of the world doesn’t look at you and think, “oh, they’re just trying to get attention; they really could change if they wanted to.”  (Agh!  Punctuation dilemma!)

For the vast majority of gay individuals, “gay pride” does not mean “I’m different and I want you all to pay attention to me!”  It means, “I’ve struggled with feeling different, feeling guilty, feeling like I’ve sinned purely because of my thoughts, and now I’ve finally accepted that this is who I am and I’m still a good person.”

Gay individuals are not trying to ruin your life or your family, they are trying to find peace with themselves and find joy in their own lives.  Just like straight people.  Don’t mock them for recognizing who they are and being okay with it.  “Straight Pride” is just about as Christian as saying “I’m so proud I don’t have cerebral palsy!”  They’re born that way, they’re dealing with being “different,” and they don’t deserve that treatment.

So please, just stop it.