By Coleen Ramos
When Twitter user @_JackNForTweets started the hashtag #HeterosexualPrideDay in response to a tweet questioning the presence of straight people in LGBTQ+ parades, he didn’t really mean it to be a thing.
But on June 28, netizens were locked in a heated thread of indirect tweets and sarcastic remarks as the hashtag trended worldwide. And well, things started to get ugly.
The mass shooting incident in Orlando is still fresh in people’s memories and last June 25, Filipinos celebrated Metro Manila Pride day, calling on all Filipinos to “let love into their homes, their communities, and the whole country.”
What’s meant to be a satire-laden tweet became a medium for heterosexuals to rile up the internet and troll the LGBTQ+ community. Unfortunately (for them), the hashtag seemed to backfire with tweets coming up to define what pride really means and how it started to get associated with the LGBTQ+.
Going back to the basics, Merriam-Webster has defined pride as “a feeling that you respect yourself and deserve to be respected by other people.” This definition inspired the conceptualization of gay pride. 47 years ago, the world had its very first LGBT Pride March in New York City, and some have asked why there’s no “straight pride” celebrations. To answer that, here’s a winning tweet from Blaine Stewart:
If you genuinely feel you need a #HeterosexualPrideDay, read this: pic.twitter.com/KtZ9Xnlinm
— Blaine Stewart (@BlaineStewart) June 29, 2016
Currently, 77 countries condemn homosexual activities and punish people for being gay, including Egypt, Iran, Afghanistan, Singapore, Qatar, Yemen and Nigeria. The punishment in these countries varies from being stoned and flogged to death if caught doing lesser acts such as kissing to psychiatric treatments and ultimately receiving death penalties.
There are, however, no countries in the world where being heterosexual is deemed illegal.
in the red are areas where many are victims of anti-straight violence…
tragic. #heterosexualprideday pic.twitter.com/e5QrRlMIL4— kate (@nanaselester) June 29, 2016
This data are nothing but an overview of LGBTQ+ oppression, road to self-determination, and acquiring equal rights similar to what the straight people are enjoying.
For the straight people out there, don’t worry, every day is Heterosexual Day. It happens 365 days in a year actually; in this very moment, in this exact time you’re reading this article, it is your day. The world has too many people burdened by hate and cruelty for being who and what they are, so consider yourselves privileged.
Photo from Bigstock