Are "straight pride" T-shirts offensive?

First, look at this...









Now, look at this...




Do you consider "straight pride" T-shirts offensive?

A "Straight Pride" t-shirt is the equivalent to an article of clothing that declares "White Pride." It's a mock of the minority group that wears similar shirts to reaffirm their lack of shame for not being of the majority, is very condescending, and pretentiously gloats their socially dominant status.

So yes, a "Straight Pride" t-shirt IS offensive.

More idiotic than anything, imo.

Straight pride shirts offensive? Oh please. I am tired of double standards just because somebody is in a minority. "Gay Pride" shirts mock and condescend every bit as much as "Straight Pride" does. I don't care if your group is the majority, minority, or even representative of anything. If you can be proud to be in a minority, you can be proud to be in the majority and both shirts should be considered equally as offensive or inoffensive in a society that claims to support equality. Especially considering the belief that one is born into whatever orientation they are, saying that somebody is not allowed to be proud of how they are born just because they were born into something more common is ridiculous and not compatible with ideas of tolerance and equality.

I personally think wearing sexuality on your sleeve either way is snobbish and condescending(hence I don't care much for either shirt objectively), but if the gays can do it, why not the straights? If people are offended by it, too freaking bad. You don't have a right to not be offended and I am sure those who wear the "Gay Pride" shirts don't give a rat's behind who they offend. Thus, those who wear "Straight Pride" shirts shouldn't either. People will always find something to be offended over anyway.

I never even saw one before LOL no offense though.

A "straight pride" t-shirt would probably annoy me because straight people are not a minority.

When you're a minority, it's not uncommon to feel under-represented and repressed, and when you're under-represented and repressed, you feel a greater need to celebrate what makes you unique in a positive way, whether it's with a TV channel or a Gay Pride Parade. Or even a "Gay Pride" t-shirt.

As it stands, straight white people aren't being repressed or under-represented and they haven't been since the beginning of time, so why would they need a "Straight Pride" or "White Pride" t-shirt? It's obnoxious. That's the same reason straight people don't need their own pride parade. They're already plenty represented on every TV show, in every magazine, in every romance novel, in every religion, in every song...

For a straight guy to wear a Straight Pride t-shirt (in a non-joking way) would be like saying, "Hey... check me out... I'm your heterosexual superior. Isn't it great how us straight folks still outnumber you?" It's essentially spitting in the faces of minorities and mocking them for wanting positive representation and being proud of their uniqueness. Nobody likes to be mocked.

^^^^So you can't be proud unless you're repressed? Oh please. Equality is equality. If gay's can be proud, straight people can be proud. I am sure both shirts make the other side uncomfortable often enough. So if either is allowed, and the other offends you, tough tamales. This is equality folks!

This is the first I've heard of them.

All T-shirts with "messages" draw attention that's not even necessary. Kill the letters and stick to colors.

Whatever, people will wear what they want to share.

Wadsworth wrote:All T-shirts with "messages" draw attention that's not even necessary. Kill the letters and stick to colors.

I never saw them, but I think that they should be fine, but I know that socially, they are not. It is filed under, "can wear but shouldn't wear" to me.

Just goes to show that there is a t-shirt for EVERYTHING!

TSJ, true.

TSJFan4Ever wrote:Just goes to show that there is a t-shirt for EVERYTHING!

Oh there is, and rightfully so. lol Monkey see, Monkey do. Anything you do the other side will copy and you won't like it very much. lol It is funny though.

Wadsworth wrote:All T-shirts with "messages" draw attention that's not even necessary. Kill the letters and stick to colors.

I co-sign this to an extent. There is a reason why people wear Gay Pride shirts, but personally I don't think you need to wear your sexuality on your "sleeve".

On the other hand a t-shirt saying go ride the Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point is a great message!

^^^^A great message huh?

I don't think they're offensive. I think they're silly, but if someone feels the need to express what actually goes without saying, then I couldn't care less. It certainly doesn't seem anti-gay to me. I never really gave it much thought though, this is the first time I've even seen one.

Yeah - t-shirts from places are different - I survived... (whatever roller coaster), t-shirts with vacation spots, and so on. I like those t-shirts, but other ones, I'm not so found of - ones that have a message. I mean - it's one thing if it's a fundraiser for something, like when you do a charity runs, but I've seen some pretty offensive ones, too.

^^^^Some shirts can be funny though. xD

It's clearly a patronizing mock of gay pride shirts, but they're funny.

I'd say they were more "pointless" than "offensive." Society is already proud of people who're straight so those shirts are just pronouncing to the congregation, really.

Marc wrote:It's clearing a patronizing mock of gay pride shirts, but they're funny.

Both shirts are a patronizing mock of the other side's beliefs.

Forgiveness_Man wrote:Straight pride shirts offensive? Oh please. I am tired of double standards just because somebody is in a minority. "Gay Pride" shirts mock and condescend every bit as much as "Straight Pride" does. I don't care if your group is the majority, minority, or even representative of anything. If you can be proud to be in a minority, you can be proud to be in the majority and both shirts should be considered equally as offensive or inoffensive in a society that claims to support equality. Especially considering the belief that one is born into whatever orientation they are, saying that somebody is not allowed to be proud of how they are born just because they were born into something more common is ridiculous and not compatible with ideas of tolerance and equality.

I personally think wearing sexuality on your sleeve either way is snobbish and condescending(hence I don't care much for either shirt objectively), but if the gays can do it, why not the straights? If people are offended by it, too freaking bad. You don't have a right to not be offended and I am sure those who wear the "Gay Pride" shirts don't give a rat's behind who they offend. Thus, those who wear "Straight Pride" shirts shouldn't either. People will always find something to be offended over anyway.

I would have to disagree with this. Its not a double standard. Gay pride shirts only exist because of discrimination and hardship otherwise there wouldnt be need for them. Its extremely difficult to be gay in a society that says its wrong. You have to fight to live comfortably. No one is saying its wrong to be straight and straight people generally dont face discrimination and prejudice for being straight. Gays are fighting for rights so for a straight person to wear a straight pride shirt is mockery in that sense. You cant make an argument for equality when a group is still fighting for equality. You have to look deeper into it then making an assumption that gays wear rainbows or things to represent their sexuality because they are trying to be snobbish about it.

Seems similar to someone wearing a "white pride" tee, IMO.

Wadsworth wrote:All T-shirts with "messages" draw attention that's not even necessary. Kill the letters and stick to colors.

I understand why those pride shirts are worn, but I agree with this. You affirm your pride by being open and truthful about yourself to the people you directly interact with, not by going for an attention grab. You will wind up generating mockery like this.