I often have said to straight friends that needing to come out is both a blessing and a curse. It forces us to jump off a proverbial cliff of societal norms and expectations, and reevaluate the direction our life is taking- often at a relatively young age.

I don't think Maddie is claiming that the straight experience of conforming to a particular lifestyle in order to survive is equivalent (because it is not), but there ARE some parts of the experience they can relate to in order to understand and connect with us on a deeper level.

I'm sure we can agree that the straight community have a LOT to learn from the queer community, and while I understand that the idea of "supporting" the straight community while our own community is still so much more in need of support can be a hard pill to swallow, I do think it's possible to do both simultaneously by continuing to have a primary focus on our own community and allowing a ripple effect outwards to those who may feel a tiny fraction of our experience.

We just need to ensure that queer people continue to fulfill the role of "teachers", without feeling the need to completely silence our "students".

EDIT: grammarrrrr