First held in New York City on June 28, 1970, pride parades are now a world-wide movement to demand equal rights for the LGBT+ community.

Pride parades are generally headed by a political figure or rights activist, especially in less accepting settings, and are attended by hundreds of members and allies.

Generally, they’re surrounded by a very positive, energetic and encouraging atmosphere.

Pride parades and events are essential in spreading awareness and providing support for those who have lost loved ones to AIDs and anti-LGBT violence.

As pride parades have become more common and gained followers and publicity, it was only a matter of time before someone asked a question that many people would consider to be absolutely brainless.

“If gay people have gay pride parades, then why don’t straight people get straight pride parades?”

Maybe for the same reason there’s a Black History Month and not a White History Month.

Maybe it’s because if you haven’t been marginalized or discriminated against or even brutally murdered based on your race or gender or sexuality or any other uncontrollable part of your identity, then you don’t need a parade.

Pride parades are a way to fight for equality, which is something straight people already have in the sense I’m talking about.

It has nothing at all to do with being proud of our sexuality—it’s about demanding to be treated as people.

Asking for straight pride parades is like asking for another regular parking space just because there are handicap-only spaces, when there are already over one hundred regular spaces and only ten handicap.

Unfortunately, many people have a hard time understanding that being straight essentially makes them privileged.

The important thing to note here is that being privileged and having it easy in life are not the same thing.

Being privileged just means that a person hasn’t been discriminated against for their race or gender or sexuality.

It’s the case of a white person getting a job over a black person just because they’re white, or men being paid more than women who work the same job simply because they’re men.

A white person who is queer still has white privilege. Even if they’re discriminated against for being queer, they’ll probably still have it a little easier than someone from a minority who’s queer. That’s how being privileged works.

Straight, cisgender people have more laws and protections—especially concerning labor, healthcare and marriage laws—than anyone who identifies as otherwise.

People don’t like to admit that their lives are inherently easier than others’ because their ancestors kidnapped and enslaved people or murdered them for something as natural as being gay.

No one wants to acknowledge that they have nice things now because their great-great-grandparents were actual murderers.

But that’s the hard truth of the matter, and I hope the next time someone wants to ask why there are no straight pride parades, they stop for a moment and actually think about it first.

If you wouldn’t go to a white pride parade (aka the KKK), then please, PLEASE don’t say you’d go to a straight pride parade. I promise, there are much better ways to spend your time.