'Straight Pride' Is A Complete Joke

For the last several weeks, I've been running into articles about two different cities planning on hosting their so-called "Straight Pride". Those two cities are Boston, Massachusetts and the other that might hold one is Modesto, California. One of my cosplayer friends and I had a great conversation on this topic. We both agreed that these cities are doing this for attention. To me, I'm not outraged or upset at these two cities. They're free to have it, but I'm still going to side-eye it. Many people, including me, some of my friends, and LGBTQ allies, started dragging them online, as they should. As soon as I've seen that Modesto, California might have a "Straight Pride" event, I felt like I needed to write an open letter to some, not all, straight people. I'm in no way attacking you or your beliefs, but to go into detail of why "Straight Pride" is complete nonsense and ridiculous. I have many straight friends and family members, but you know what, I love them for who they are.

Straight People:

Pride Month was last month, and as an openly gay cosplayer, this so-called "Straight Pride" is a complete mockery to LGBTQ people everywhere. I came out at 24 and while most people supported me and still do to this day, others rejected me. After a while, it was important for me to surround myself with people who loved me unconditionally. My parents were very conservative Christians, and never knew that I was attracted to the same sex since I was a young boy. Struggling with my sexuality and hiding it from my parents was hard. Not only that, but lying about it to appease them and my relatives, was pitiful. Coming out to them wasn't a good idea at that time, because if I had done that, they would have completely disowned me. My parents and I have been estranged for over seven years, and I have no desire to reconcile with them anytime soon. I've come to terms that being rejected by them is a good thing, because I'm now in a much better place. I got engaged to a wonderful man over a month ago, and I plan on marrying him in a few months.

I'm telling you all of this, because these are the struggles that many gay, lesbian, and even transgender people go through on a regular basis. You're constantly complaining of why there's not a so-called "Straight Pride" for y'all. The reason why there's not a pride parade for straight people, is because it was never needed at all. Queer people have been fighting for their rights for many, many years, dating back to the Stonewall riots, which was a pivotal movement for gay rights. Since then, groundbreaking moments like the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the repeal of Don't Ask' Don't Tell, and of course, marriage equality becoming the law of the land in all 50 states, are examples of why Pride Month occurs every June.

As I've stated in my article about why Pride Month is important and exists today, in reality, "Straight Pride" is celebrated every day. You aren't being fired for it; it's accepted by all, and you didn't have to tell your friends and family about it. It's a complete mockery to the LGBTQ community and a joke. You say that Pride Month is offensive to straight people and Christians, but I respectfully disagree. You hardly had to struggle with the things that queer people did in their lives. I don't see what the motivation is, or what y'all are trying to prove with wanting to have an event that's absolutely pointless and laughable. There are queer people today who still don't feel safe, even though marriage equality is over four years old. They are still being denied services and being discriminated against, mostly because of religious convictions. There are some over the last few years who have taken their own lives or been killed, because they weren't accepted by their friends and families. Our own president and his administration wants to discriminate against people like myself legally, all over the United States on religious grounds, which puts LGBTQ people in danger. That's one of the reasons why this country is so divided, even before and after Trump took office.

Again, I'm not attacking your beliefs at all. You're free to do and believe in whatever you want. However, I'm pointing out that having an event to celebrate you being straight is foolish. You can be proud to be straight and support other people's plights and causes. I hope you take everything that I've said to heart. I will never go out of my way to offend people. I'm the kind of person that shows love to everyone, regardless of someone's sexuality, religion, race, etc. Always be kind to everyone you meet, and love everyone unconditionally. You'll thank yourself for having a humble and gentle demeanor.

Sincerely,

Mark Wesley Pritchard

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