Why the LGBT Community is Braver than You

The irony is that the title of this post assumes that you, the reader, are heterosexual. This assumption is an example of one of the many privileges that straight people take for granted.

Think about it. When a straight person first meets someone, say a new classmate or roommate, they're not worried about having to tell them that they're straight. In fact, the new classmate or roommate already thinks they're straight. Why would they think otherwise? Having to "confess" their sexuality never even crosses a straight person's mind.

This is not the reality for someone who is gay, lesbian, bisexual or trans-gender. And this is just one example. For a fuller list, click here.

Now, some of the privileges listed I think have less to do with not being heterosexual and more to do with being part of a community that makes up less than 5% of the US population (http://www.adherents.com/adh_dem.html, http://www.gaydemographics.org/USA/USA.htm). For example, not being adequately represented in media is an issue that many minority groups face.

This does not, however, excuse the other very valid points outlined in the list.

Usually, people are reluctant to admit they committed a crime, which is natural. Society justly reprimands those who hurt others, those who steal from others, and those who violate the rights of others. But we know that being gay or lesbian, being bisexual or transgender, does none of the above. We should not contribute to a culture in which someone is reluctant to express their identity.

The privilege I found most insightful in this long list was "I can choose to not think politically about my sexual orientation." I had never thought about it this way, but being gay in the US has turned into a very political stance. You are expected to have opinions on civil unions, Proposition 8, and hospital rights. You have to be able to defend gay marriage.

As a straight man, I have never been asked why I like females or if I think it's moral. It just doesn't happen.

As history continues, we must propagate (no pun intended) the idea that the GLBT community and the heterosexual community are really not so different. We must be blind to sexual orientation as we are taught to be blind to race. A culture of open mindedness and acceptance will shrink the privilege list down to zero.

And we cannot afford to settle for anything other than zero.