"I'm not really proud of my sexuality. So far as I don't believe you can be proud of many things you can't change, like, I'm not proud that I'm tall, I mean, I didn't earn it. I didn't work towards it. I mean I'm happy I'm tall, but pride in that sense doesn't seem to make sense to me. It doesn't feel like the right word" (Evan Edinger, "I Am Not Proud of My Sexuality," YouTube, 11 June 2017).

Let's say I'm straight (it's more complex than that, and not too far off from where Evan is, but for all relevant matters with this question, let's say I am). First of all, I apologize if I'm intruding on your community.

Secondly, as an outsider, what Evan is saying makes sense to me. I've felt similarly regarding birthdays. I'm happy I exist, but it seems just so egocentric to have a day saying, "simply because I exist, I deserve to be celebrated."

I even agree with the need to make GSRM people seem normal, and not hidden. And even agree that they need to be celebrated for having the courage to come out. I get being proud of coming out, since it's something someone did, it took a lot of courage, etc. But I don't fully understand what it means to be proud of your sexual-romantic orientation. Be happy with the identity, cherish it, feel validated, sure, but proud? In my understanding of the word, the phrase after the verb should be a semantic event relating to the subject, rather than a semantic state.

I'm probably wrong here, since I don't have the perspective of LGBT people and therefore just don't understand, so I'd like to hear why I'm wrong.