Okay, Latinx queer woman who has done years of QTPOC activism and has worked for queer activist organizations speaking here: this post is horribly worded.
Firstly, as a few people in the notes pointed out, the analogy here is a weak one. Being an english major is not the same thing as being straight. Comparing the two assumes that straight people are perpetually ignorant about LGBTQ+ issues purely based on an identity that they did not choose, and they are therefore prevented from being involved in any conversation that has to do with LGBTQ+ issues and LGBTQ+ rights. What this post seems to undervalue is the power that straight allyship has to amplify LGBTQ+ movements and the power that straight ally voices has to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.
Straight people have privileges and resources because they are straight. They have the ability to amplify messages and reach mainstream audiences in a way that non-straight people can’t. As someone who has worked with both straight and white allies during non-straight and non-black movements, their opinions on our movements were incredibly valuable. There are non-straight people who do educate themselves on LGBTQ+ issues and who genuinely want to help advance activist movements and propel conversations. A straight person is more likely to get a roomful of straight people on board with a bathroom bill than a trans person is. Straight allies in congress were part of the reason marriage equality was made legal in all 50 US states. Straight allies convince donors to give non-straight people money. Straight allies convince homophobic venue owners to rent us spaces. Straight allies speak up for us and amplify our voices all the time, and we need their voices to get things done. They can’t do that if we chase them out of every single conversation having to do with us. Trust me, chasing allies away from activist movements is never a beneficial thing.
What this post could have worded better is that straight people need to learn how to not center themselves. If there is affinity-based programming that is solely meant for latinx queer people to talk about their personal experiences with other latinx queer people in a safe, familial space, straight people and/or white people shouldn’t have entry into that space. If a straight person is trying to talk about bathroom laws to a group of straight people, their personal stories and experiences should not be the thrust of the conversation.
Straight voices are needed in conversations about LGBTQ+ issues in order to support and amplify our cause, not speak over it or de-center it. To say that straight people have no right to speak about our issues purely because they’re straight ignores the sheer amounts of education, empathy, and resources that allies pour into LGBTQ+ movements everyday for our benefit.
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
