Last month was LGBT pride month. The purpose of the month, though it incorporates LGBT pride, sadly cannot be the main focus of the month at this time. First of all, it's there to create awareness. With some people seeing sexuality as a choice, it discredits LGBT+ people of having legitimate identities. If their identities don't truly exist, why should they be taken seriously? Why should they be given any rights at all? It also brings up the existence of sexualities other than heterosexuality as well as awareness of the lesser known sexualities (including but not limited to pansexuality and asexuality.) Sexuality is such a complex topic, but right now the fight is to just understand that it is a complex topic, not even how it is complex.

It is not only about the fight to be known, but the fight to be recognized as a human being deserving of rights. Not for the privilege, but basic human rights. In a way, LGBT people are fighting for privilege, though, since they are fighting for rights only allotted to a certain group of people. Pride month isn't about being better than anyone else; it's about the fight to be equal.

So last month, the hashtag "#heterosexualprideday" was trending. Rather than discuss the internet's use and opinions of that hashtag, I would like to discuss my own opinion about it. Personally, I support the concept of a heterosexual pride day. Before you get mad at me, keep on reading.

I believe that pride should mean that someone feels respect for their true selves and feels proud of being their genuine selves. This is the basic dictionary definition, however, pride has come to mean something completely different in the context of LGBT pride. The definition has become the fight for being able to be your genuine self in public and even private. It has become the fight to be an equal rather than celebrating being an equal. Feeling [the dictionary definition of] pride in oneself has become a human right which is typically taken for granted, because it is difficult for LGBT people to feel pride in themselves when many are against them just for being their genuine selves. Not only is it the fight to receive acceptance for who they are, but it is the fight to receive acceptance as a human being.

The concept of a heterosexual pride day that I support is one where the definition of pride is the dictionary definition. Everyone deserves to feel pride in who they are, whether they are privileged or not. The issue is that if heterosexual pride day were to exist right now, it could not use the dictionary definition of pride because that is not what it is currently defined as in this case.

Everyone already knows of the existence of heterosexuality, so there is not much of a point in bringing awareness to something people already know of. The awareness of it is not marked by stigma, so there is not any stigma to try to get rid of. Heterosexuals are given basic rights and more, so they are not fighting to gain these. Heterosexuals don't have to fight, just simply exist, meanwhile, LGBT individuals have to fight just to exist. Life is even a privilege for LGBT individuals because many are subject to hate crimes and some can even be sentenced to death in some countries just for being themselves, for being LGBT.

Heterosexual pride day cannot exist right now without controversy. Instead of love for oneself, it would stand for hatred and bigotry against others. Heterosexual pride day reminds me of the All Lives Matter Movement. Though both don't necessarily have to have negative connotations, because of how society currently is structured, they do. The ideas are not bad, only the situations these ideas are being presented in won't work.

I hope someday that pride in this context can be defined by the dictionary definition, but for now, it has a different definition. We all have the power to change that definition. If we stop classifying other people based upon their sexuality and begin classifying them based upon their character, we can work towards changing it. If we all start treating each other like human beings, like equals, no one would have to fight to become equal. It will never be perfect, but if we don't try it will be far from perfection. Everyone deserves to feel pride in themselves, so regardless of whether you are receiving external validation of yourself or not, remember that you are valid no matter what anyone else says.