The Straight Privilege Checklist

The Straight Privilege Checklist is a tool to help straight folks understand the day to day life of a queer person. This list was adapted from several different sources and gives a clear idea of some of the issues that are very common in the LGB community.I encourage you to share this tool, with the people in your world in the hopes of facilitating some meaningful dialogue.

On a daily basis as a straight person…

1. I can be pretty sure that my roomate, hallmates and classmates will be comfortable with whomever I chose to date.
2. If I pick up a magazine, watch TV, or play music, I can be certain relationships similar to mine will be represented.
3. When I talk about my heterosexuality (such as in a joke or talking about my relationships), I will not be accused of pushing my agenda or lifestyle onto others.
4. I do not have to fear that if my family or friends find out about my identity there will be economic, emotional, physical or psychological consequences.
5. I did not grow up with games that attack my sexual orientation (IE f*g tag or smear the queer).
6. I am not accused of being abused, warped or psychologically confused because of my sexual orientation.
7. I can go home from most meetings, classes, and conversations without feeling excluded, fearful, attacked, isolated, outnumbered, unheard, held at a distance, stereotyped or feared because of my sexual orientation.
8. I am never asked to speak for everyone who is heterosexual.
9. I can be sure that my classes will require curricular materials that testify to the existence of people with my sexual orientation.
10. People don’t ask why I made my choice of sexual orientation.
11. People don’t ask why I made my choice to be public about my sexual orientation.
12. I do not have to fear revealing my sexual orientation to friends or family. It’s assumed.
13. My sexual orientation was never associated with a closet.
14. People of my gender do not try to convince me to change my sexual orientation.
15. I don’t have to defend my heterosexuality.
16. I can easily find a religious community that will not exclude me for being heterosexual.
17. I can count on finding a therapist or doctor willing and able to talk about my sexuality.
18. I am guaranteed to find sex education literature for couples with my sexual orientation.
19. Because of my sexual orientation, I do not need to worry that people will harass me.
20. I have no need to qualify my straight identity.
21. My masculinity/femininity is not challenged because of my sexual orientation.
22. I am not identified by my sexual orientation.
23. I can be sure that if I need legal or medical help my sexual orientation will not work against me.
24. If my day, week, or year is going badly, I need not ask of each negative episode or situation whether it has sexual orientation overtones.
25. Whether I rent or I go to a theater, Blockbuster, an EFS or TOFS movie, I can be sure I will not have trouble finding my sexual orientation represented.
26. I am guaranteed to find people of my sexual orientation represented in my workplace.
27. I can walk in public with my significant other and not have people double-take or stare.
28. I can choose to not think politically about my sexual orientation.
29. I do not have to worry about telling my roommate about my sexuality. It is assumed I am a heterosexual.
30. I can remain oblivious of the language and culture of LGBTQ folk without feeling in my culture any penalty for such oblivion.
31. I can go for months without being called straight.
32. I’m not grouped because of my sexual orientation.
33. My individual behavior does not reflect on people who identity as heterosexual.
34. In everyday conversation, the language my friends and I use generally assumes my sexual orientation. For example, sex inappropriately referring to only heterosexual sex or family meaning heterosexual relationships with kids.
35. People do not assume I am experienced in sex (or that I even have it!) merely because of my sexual orientation.
36. I can kiss a person of the opposite gender on the heart or in the cafeteria without being watched and stared at.
37. Nobody calls me straight with maliciousness.
38. People can use terms that describe my sexual orientation and mean positive things (IE “straight as an arrow”, “standing up straight” or “straightened out” ) instead of demeaning terms (IE “ewww, that’s gay” or being “queer” ) .
39. I am not asked to think about why I am straight.
40. I can be open about my sexual orientation without worrying about my job.
41. I don’t have to worry about some politicians trying to pass a law which tells me who I can and can’t marry, including at the national, Constitutional, level.
42. I know I won’t have any problems marrying the person I love.
43. I know that there will be no problems, as far as my orientation is concerned, in adopting a child;
44.  I know that I will not be targeted by law enforcement for harassment due to my orientation;
45. I can be open about my orientation with out worrying about being denied housing;
46. I can walk down the street with my partner and hold hands and kiss without fear that I or my partner will be attacked and beaten, possibly even killed, because of our orientation.
47. I know that when I refer to my bf/gf/spouse, people will assume we aren’t together just for sex, but for love , and that our love is as real and legitimate as theirs for their significant others.
48. People do not automatically assume that I am shallow, weak, silly, on drugs or promiscuous because of my orientation.
49. People do not automatically assume I do not want children.
50. I will never be asked to hide my partner until after the grandparents die.
51. People will not mentally assign me a career (e.g., the str8 versions of florist, party planner, interior decorator, hair dresser, etc., etc.) because of my orientation.
52. People (advertisers and marketers aside) will not assume I am like everyone else of my orientation and will treat me like an individual human being.
53. When a family emergency occurs, I am able to hold my partner’s hand while they are in pain.
54. If my partner dies, I am able to inherit the property we owned together without pentalty of law.
55. I will never have to explain where my children came from, or who’s children they “really” are.
56. I will never told that I’m too pretty to be gay.
57. I will never be asked to “tone it down” to make other people feel more comfortable.
58. I will never be told that I am “too straight”
59. I will be able to shop in whatever store I choose without being told, “this section isn’t for you.”
60. I will never be told that who I am can be beaten or raped out of me.

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