Why The SCOTUS Decision Makes Me Proud To Be Straight

Yea, I said it. Today, of all days, I’ve never felt prouder of HETEROsexuality. My connection to the straight community. My inability to fathom having those feelings for fellow females.

No, not because I’m a homophobe. Or a self-important straight person. This is not an attempt to steal the spotlight from the LGBT community, or because I’m stuck in some antiquated ideal of human attraction, but because I genuinely do consider the same-sex decision a historic occasion for us as well. The “straights.” We who sit on the conventional side of the sexual spectrum. Who finally stepped outside our biological comfort zone in support of those whose desires deviate from our own.

But this isn’t about me. And it isn’t about “them.” It’s about us. The “heteros” who helped it happen, and the “homos” who peacefully, progressively, and patiently put up with our shit pushed us to think outside of ourselves. It’s a tribute to those who trusted us to come to this conclusion in our own time – even if it was tiresome and took far too long.

And it’s proof that the most rewarding things in life are those for which we work the hardest. Not to sugar-coat the struggle, but had this battle not been decades long, the outcome wouldn’t be so sweet. So to those conservative minds who challenged the change and put progress on pause – I thank you, for making this win even more worth it.

But we certainly didn’t do this by ourselves. And we didn’t do it for ourselves. Although I’d argue it’s a larger step forward for the straight community than many can admit. It’s a lesson in life and a lesson in love. One look at the most fulfilling relationships – gay or straight – and you’ll see two seemingly-dissimilar beings coming together to create something great. Overcoming challenges and coming out stronger. Embracing differences and bringing out the “other” in each other. After all, we are nothing without what we are not.

So here’s to you, my White House hetero friends, for finally catching up on the times and making it official. Dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s in toleration. For opening your minds and closing the “closet.” The long-awaited, highly-debated day has come. We’re not done yet, but we’re a hell of a lot closer. I knew we had it in us all along. It just took a group greater than our own to realize it.