Amidst a heavy semester, I still continue to educate myself on controversial topics. Just a few days ago, I watched a video and came across this so-called, “Super Straight Movement” and decided I’ll share my personal input on it. Diversity, equity, and inclusion must be the first components that we engage in to better ourselves, our environment, and society. We should be actively supporting the BIPOC community, those who identify as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, those with disabilities, those who hold religious beliefs, etc. What this society lacks is support for one another, and we do not need a movement to further undervalue marginalized communities.
I personally do not see the real purpose behind this ‘new sexuality’ when it comes to being “super straight.” But, I can see why people want to identify as ‘more straight’ to limit others from labeling straight people as transphobic due to the fact that they wouldn’t date someone who identifies as say, transgender. But in all honesty, I think the real root issue here is that people assume and generalize that straight individuals are homophobic when that’s not necessarily true for everyone who identifies as straight. An individual who identifies as straight generally prefers the opposite gender, but that does not indicate that they are transphobic. Being a straight cis-gendered male or female still doesn’t statistically show significant signs of oppression in the present day, whereas somebody of the LGBTQIA+ community is seen as abnormal to society. When we look at both sides here, people don’t usually question why people are straight, but they tend to question why people are a part of the LQBTQIA+ community, and this is where the oppression on a regular basis comes in.
I personally have yet to meet someone in my life who is straight and has experienced oppression when it comes to their gender identity or sexual orientation. I know that I have not faced oppression for being straight, whereas I’ve had acquaintances overlook a bisexual individual, which is extremely unfair as society continues to do the same. Moreover, I think that this super straight movement is undervaluing to some degree. I say this because those who are ‘more straight’ may be using their sexual orientation against others, further oppressing and invalidating those of different communities who are continuously attacked. When I say this, I am not dismissing those who identify as more straight, I’m saying that the level of oppression in straight communities isn’t majorly present as it is in other communities. Name-calling and assuming (against straights) is a form of emotional and mental abuse, but people who become victims of murder (against other identities) are due to physical abuse. It’s important to note what aspect of oppression an individual is facing and how purpose/movements come into effect.
I believe that communities who have historically been oppressed, know and learn more through experiences than those who are not. This is why we must acknowledge those that go through a long-term everyday struggle and not just a temporary one. Again, I have yet to be labeled, approached, or attacked for being straight and I know that other communities lack support for their gender identity or sexual orientation because of societal norm division. This is why when movements come to be, they must have a solid intended purpose and should not be meant to further divide or devalue others. So it’s important to think, how long has this oppression been going on.
Although I am straight, I don’t feel the need to identify as super straight due to the fact that I have not experienced the worst because of my partner preference. That is not to say that I won’t support someone who identifies as super straight, because I will. But I am saying that I choose to not reinforce oppression which is why if I simply identify as straight. I recognize that I’m privileged enough to say that I’m a straight cisgender woman. The privilege that this identity/title gives me is that being straight is considered “a normality” in society. But if someone classified as different, there would be consequences according to society. Needless to say, this is very unfair.
We straight folks ought not to think more of ourselves if we are straight because we don’t face everyday oppression for our gender identity and sexual orientation. I don’t feel like I agree one bit with this “super straight” movement nor do I know if I see the purpose behind the symbolized flag. I believe that with movements like these, we are in fact overshadowing those who continue to face oppression to this very day. I think we need to start thinking much bigger than this. When I say think bigger I mean being more considerate. There are always the privileged and the oppressed groups, but there need not be a competition for who faces it more.
Oppression is not something you compete for nor something that you would want to experience. By overshadowing those who actually get targeted and attacked, you are choosing to stand with the oppressor. We should be making sure that we acknowledge those who experience oppression as an everyday setback for them. Until we continue to actively educate ourselves, we have a vast amount of work to do. It’s easy for people to fear the truth, but I challenge you to become experts in subjects you don’t know about or pay attention to. It’s never too late to start actively bringing light to those communities who exhaustingly experience oppression in everyday life.