LGBTQ+ Folks Are Pointing Out The Things Straight People Deal With That Make Them Think, "I'm Sooo Glad I'm Gay"

October 11 is National Coming Out Day! We can all agree that owning your truth and embracing your authentic self is worth celebrating. Being out and proud, you may even find yourself thinking at times, "thank GOD I'm gay." Recently, we asked LGBTQIA+ members of the BuzzFeed Community to share the experiences and things that make them feel grateful to be queer.

We opened the floodgates for people to share all of the things they love about their queer communities — and some even threw some *light-hearted* shade at their hetero counterparts. Here are their best responses:

1."Honestly, the humor within the gay/queer community makes me so glad that I’m a part of it. Some of the things we say and the compliments that could be easily perceived by a straight person as an insult (like calling something or someone 'cunty'), just bring me an insane amount of joy."

2."When my male friends start complaining about baby momma drama, I'm suddenly very glad that I'm gay."

—Golden, Meaux, France

3."In my personal experience, the sex is better. (I’m bisexual and have been with straight people as well as queer people of many sexualities and gender identities.)"

4."I'm glad I'm gay EVERY DAMN DAY! I'm a gay woman, and I work with only men — and a couple of man-children. I also live with a male roommate. He's wonderful, and as far as living with a guy goes, I couldn't be luckier. But there are still things about him that completely affirm my sexuality."

—pasteljester852

5."Pregnancy being an 'oopsie.'"

6."Being able to work out household and parenting tasks based on what makes the most sense and who likes certain things without the pressure of societal expectations."

—cazculhane

"Seeing the unequal division of household labor in heterosexual couples."

—hannahh43

7."I'm thankful I'm not in a straight relationship that normalizes hating my partner/spouse and making jokes about it. What's up with that?! I'm a divorced gay man, and I have always talked about my ex respectfully."

—Anonymous

"The whole 'lol, I hate my wife' culture. Obviously, some queer people dislike their spouses, but it's not nearly as pervasive as it is with straight couples. I know a lot of it is 'humor,' but I've never gotten the joke. Why marry someone you can't stand?"

—ljvincent

"Listening to cis women talk about their shitty cis male husbands. I think they truly hate each other. Recently, I was with a group of straight women, and they were talking about how their husbands cleaning up after themselves is such a turn-on. My wife takes care of me and buys flowers for me regularly. Being straight sounds terrible."

—Anonymous

8."I’m 51 years old. I came out at 20. I’ve seen a lot. My husband and I have been together since 1995 and legally married since 2015. We have two kids, a house, pets, and a life we’re proud to have built together. Being gay let me see 'the other side' of pretty much everything."

9."Hearing anyone complain about pronouns with this sentence or similar, 'I hate people forcing their pronouns on me,' completely missing the irony of using multiple pronouns to say that sentence. Like, do you have nothing else more important in your life that THAT'S the hill you're willing to fight for? It's so sad."

—Isabella

10."As a woman, I am so grateful to be attracted to other women as opposed to being attracted to my gender’s historical oppressor. In my relationships, there’s a deep sense of equality, and I can’t imagine having to navigate patriarchal power dynamics in a romantic relationship, however subconscious they may be."

11."The 'straight white lad culture' I see in university of loud guys who are big into partying and acting masculine: constantly making explicit jokes about people; pressuring people into drinking culture; being super loud always and everywhere, bad-mouthing hookups they've had; enjoying getting a reaction out of people when they do something to upset you; and passively excluding you from the group if you don't act like 'one of the pack.' Anytime I run into groups like that, I feel relieved if I have a community that, for the most part, is welcoming, fun, and supportive, and no one is made to fit a mold."

12."I think I’m a better person because of being gay. It’s made me more cognizant of the struggles of other minorities, including those I hadn’t known about at 20."

—colorandfury

13."Unequal dynamics in heterosexual relationships."

14."My dad told me that he loves my mom and his kids, but he never wanted to get married or have kids when he was in his mid-twenties. Everyone made him do it because it was 'important'. I wished there was a life he could just enjoy being with my mom without all the heteronormative bullshit rules."

—orenlevko1

15."Anytime I hear about a terrible hookup or scary experience on a dating app, it makes me so glad to be aspec! Like, of course, there's nothing wrong with enjoying hookup culture, but I don't get the appeal myself, especially when 8 out of 10 hookups I hear end badly, and people end up getting hurt."

16."Being gay means I am able to have platonic male friends (and get close with all the girls), and it is fine."

—saturn_day

17."Queer people are more often able to be friends with an ex. Many of my straight friends have ended their relationships with so much drama and fireworks that they can't be in the same room with one another, even 10–15 years after a breakup. My exes and my gay friend's exes are all friends, even years after the relationship fizzled. Why are so few heterosexuals not able to stay friends with an ex?"

18."I'm glad that it is much less likely I will suffer violence if I go on a date with someone (in my case, a woman) I've just met. It's not impossible, but very unlikely."

—irisg2

19."Nothing is straighter than insisting on wanting children with your own DNA. Heaven forbid they actually adopt nowadays. There are plenty of children who need a home, but no, the straights are more than happy to go to family-affirming care over the years just to have a child that has the same wonky ears as their parent. Gurl. Just adopt a kid."

—Anonymous

20."Children. I'm sure having your own family is lovely, but they're so bloody expensive and bad for the environment. What's wrong with protecting your peace and having a quiet evening?"

21."Boring lives. Straight people seem to be... regular. They've elevated conformity to that beige level, haven't they."

—Anonymous

22."I went to Pride Prom my first semester in college and fully embraced my queerness for the first time, having the time of my life dancing and making new friends. I fully came out as queer not long afterward. Now I'm in a Pride circle and in a lesbian relationship with a transfemme biracial woman while occasionally cross-dressing in masculine fashion. I'm more comfortable in my own skin and happy to be myself."

23."Literally just looking through r/arethestraightsok thread on Reddit gives me so much relief that I'm not straight."

—Isabella

24."I've seen straight couples attend events together in wildly different outfits. The girl clearly spent hours crafting the perfect look for the occasion, and the guy couldn’t be bothered to wear a decent pair of shoes."

25."Not sure about the Western families, but in Asia, straight marriages cause tough mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships due to existing family hierarchies and clashing expectations of marriage."

—K, Singapore

26."Sharing clothes! My husband and I are not really shaped the same way, but we are both t-shirt and jeans kind of people and we can mostly share the same t-shirts and jeans. Also, the socks and underwear are in one drawer and I might prefer one underwear or socks more than him, but it's all just a shared thing."

—Paulypop

Do you have a "thank GOD I'm gay" moment of your own to share? Let us know in the comments or anonymously using this form.

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.

You can check out more posts that celebrate National Coming Out Day and LGBTQ+ History Month over on our LGBTQ+ page.