Ryuu's Straight Pride

As was already pointed out, Ryuu is unabashedly homophobic, and we have a bit of a problem with that. Perhaps this is what he's talking about when he says that we "slam" his religion, which is, of course, patently absurd. Many Christians don't believe that being gay/bi/trans is wrong, and feel that other Christians who attempt to use the religion to discriminate against LGBTs are simply appropriating Christianity to justify their hate and insecurity. Simply speaking, to say that calling out bigotry is "slamming [Ryuu's] religion" implies that either Ryuu has made a religion out of bigotry, or he believes that homophobia is an intrinsic part of Christianity and all those LGBT-friendly Christians simply aren't being good Christians.

Of course, even if he did make a religion out of bigotry, even if homophobia was an intrinsic part of Christianity, to insist that criticism of such is "slamming" is ridiculous, and borderline offensive. Any religious belief used to justify discrimination NEEDS to be called out. Bigotry NEEDS to be brought to light. Just because you insist that it's a religious belief doesn't, and shouldn't, protect it from criticism, especially if it encourages discrimination against human beings. And, yes, bigotry is deplorable and makes you worthy of being ridiculed.

Thus comes the topic of Ryuu's "Straight Pride".

Ryuu's comment:
Very true, I must say. We straight people don't get enough love. There's all this gay-promotion going on and for the most part it's like society's trying to make it look like... well, let me quote your comment, here...

"What is this? Let's tolerate gay people but give straights a hard time?", end quote.

Exactly my thoughts.
Where's the straight love? I'm glad to see something like this. Thank you, much!

Where's the straight love, you ask?

Look around you. It's everywhere.

See, Ryuu suffers from a common affliction known as 'straight privilege'. It's one of many forms that 'privilege' can take, along with 'male privilege', 'Christian privilege', 'cisgender privilege', and 'white privilege', to name a few. A sign that someone is afflicted with privilege is the assumption that their trait, because it's shared by the ruling majority of the population, is the "normal" and "default" trait. Because of this, they are benefited in society by simply having these traits, often without being aware of it.

No one bats an eye when a man talks about his wife or girlfriend. A cisgender woman has no second thoughts when she enters the women's restroom. There's no shortage of straight people in the media, and everyone is assumed to be straight until further notice. This is a result of privilege, and it's why "straight pride" is a ridiculous concept.

Straight, heteronormative people don't have to think about their sexuality or their gender -- that is, until a minority group shows up.

Ryuu comments:
Man x Woman? Yes, please! Thank you for posting this!

Why does Gay Pride exist? Because gay people (and LGBT people in general) are discriminated against, simply for being gay. They're told that being gay is shameful and wrong, that it's abnormal, and that they aren't deserving of the same rights as straight people. Sometimes they're mocked and intimidated for being gay, and sometimes they're physically beaten or killed. Gay Pride is a response to such treatments, as a way of saying that there is nothing shameful about being gay, that diversity is a good thing, and that gay people are just as wholesome and normal as the rest of the population. It's a way of fighting back against a campaign that aims to push them back into obscurity.

Straight people don't have to deal with this. There is no campaign trying to push straights into the closet. There is no underabundance of straights in the media. Straights don't have to worry about being fired, or beaten, or killed for being straight (unless, of course, they're mistaken for a gay person). Straight parents never have to worry that their children will be taken away from them because of their straightness. Being straight, in this society, is something that they never have to think about -- until they see a gay person.

This is why nobody has "straight pride," except directly as a response to "gay pride". It's not about being proud of your sexuality, but about putting gay people back in their "place". It's about insisting that the spotlight never move from the straight person. It's about belittling the discrimination that gay people regularly have to face. It's about silencing the minority.

It's like a child asking their parents why they have a Mother's day and a Father's day, but no Children's Day, and his parents say that it's because every day is children's day.

You don't need to remind people that you have rights.
You don't need to fight to be treated like a human being.
You don't have a reason to be proud to be straight.

When you're kicked out of your home, beaten, and treated like shit for holding hands with someone of the opposite sex, then you can go around parading this crap. But until then, shut the fuck up, you never had to do anything to be accepted. It's like being proud of having fingernails.

"The most important political step that any gay man or lesbian can take is to come out of the closet. It's been proven that it is easier to hate us and to fear us if you can't see us." --Amanda Bearse

Of course, Ryuu and folks like Ryuu claim that heterosexuals are discriminated against all the time. After all, even we "slammed" him and called him a bigot. Oooh, shame on us. We called a bigot a bigot. Just like all the other anti-gay people are "slammed" and called naughty names.

Frankly, even if we called him a bigot unjustly (and we haven't), if being called names is the worst that he has to deal with, he's doing a pretty damned good job. Either way, that's certainly not an assault on his heterosexuality, nor is it bashing Christianity. He only had to remember his religion and his sexuality for a moment, and then he could merrily go on his way, not having to worry about the consequences of mentioning that he has a girlfriend. And I'm willing to bet he'll have forgotten about his "straight pride" until the next time he's reminded that gay people exist.