Re: Straight People

Straight privilege is thinking your bigotry and homophobia is excusable because of your faith. It’s painting yourself as the victim when people call you out on it. It’s acting like your rights are being infringed upon because you’re no longer allowed to oppress non-straight people.

Straight privilege is thinking a domestic partnership/civil union is “good enough” and “basically the same thing”. It’s not getting that, even if they were treated equally in practice, the concept that non-straight people need their own separate one so as not to ‘contaminate’ or ‘devalue’ marriage is inherently homophobic.

Straight privilege is only caring about homophobic hate crimes when it’s a (possibly) heterosexual person who was mistaken for gay and attacked, and then not caring about a non-straight person who is attacked as well.

Straight privilege is thinking homophobia is only bad because it might inadvertantly hurt heterosexual people.

Straight privilege is not understanding a non-straight person’s reluctance to tell their parents. It’s saying they should “just get it over with” and “not live a lie” and “don’t deny a part of who they are”, as if nerves is the only factor to be considered.

Straight privilege is condemning non-straight people who choose to stay in the closet for being “selfish”, “cowardly”, “deceitful”, or for “living a lie” and “trying to be something they’re not”. (Clearly, the homophobes who have made non-straight people so unwilling and terrified to come out are the real victims here!)

Straight privilege is “we’re equal now anyway” and “everyone has an fair chance in America, land of the free!”

Straight privilege is rolling your eyes and saying “why are gay guys and lesbians so obsessed with coming out? It’d be ridiculous if I came out as straight, I don’t get why it’s supposed to be so important” as if non-straight people are the ones who decided this. It’s not realising that, as a heterosexual, your hypothetical situation is not at all comparable to the reality of having to come out.

Straight privilege is not understanding why non-straight people “feel the need to tell everybody they’re gay/bi/pan/ace” because your sexuality is considered the default and always has been.

Straight privilege is having no quesions asked concerning your heterosexuality. No “why?”, “since when?”, “what do you mean?”, “is that real?”, “how does that work?”.

Straight privilege is being able to turn on a TV to any channel, pick up any book, ready any magazine and watch any film and have it guaranteed to include people of the same sexuality as you.

Straight privilege is saying “well in the past, gay people would’ve been attacked and killed, so be glad marraige is all your worried about”. It is being so out of touch with LGBT+ issues that you don’t even realise this is still happening, even in “accepting” Western countries.

Straight privilege is never thinking to, or having to, test the waters with off-handed references to LGBT issues when you meet someone new.