It's Pride Week.

If your neighbors are anything like mine were my freshman year, you probably have a list of what not to wear on certain days this week. People will stick Pride Week fliers on their doors with nasty comments on them, and put up their own fliers proclaiming the arrival of "National Heterosexual Pride Week" (or for the more insecure, less enlightened, homophobic folks "National Get Your Gay Butt Back in the Closet Week"). You might be chastised for wearing certain articles of clothing. You might become embarrassed and change out of those horrible, offensive clothes, like a pair of jeans (gasp) or a hat (oh, no!) or, worst of all . . . a Penn State sweatshirt (Oh! My stars and garters! How could you?!).

I'll admit, my freshman year, I was a bit chagrined when I found out why the people on my floor were giggling behind my back. I mean, heck, I wear jeans every day. Don't most Americans wear jeans just about every day? Jeans are an American way of life, why shouldn't I or anybody else wear jeans?

I am now even more embarrassed to admit I changed out of them because of peer pressure. (I wasn't even sure what pride week was back then. My roommate said I'd better not wear jeans for my own good. She made it sound like it was a capital offense or something. What can I say? I was young and innocent, and I spent the rest of the day in a most uncomfortable outfit.)

People are missing the point of the whole thing (like I did). During Pride Week clothing days, you never know who is wearing jeans or hats or sweatshirts because they are supporting sexual choice or because they just woke up and grabbed something out of their closet. So on those days, you never know what a person's sexuality is by what they're wearing (just like the other 360-odd days in the year, right?). It also proves the point that gay, lesbian and bisexual people wear the same clothes as the rest of us. (Maybe, if they wear the same clothes as us, they aren't really that different. Gee what a concept. Why do people have such a problem with this?)

Yet some people, like I did my freshman year, will change out of their most comfortable jeans and sweatshirts. I did so because of peer pressure. When I actually thought about what I had done and why, I was ashamed. I hadn't noticed there was a heterosexual dress code (unless you count not wearing green on Thursdays). Would people really think awful things about me simply because of what I was wearing on a certain day?

The answer, unfortunately, was yes. People are all too ready to hate. Especially if someone is different. Especially if they are being vocal about being different. (If someone wants to be different that's their own fault.)

Really, I thought, what business is it of ours who another person loves? Heterosexuals have National Heterosexual Pide Week 52 weeks of the year. We can be affectionate in public without someone muttering offensive comments about us under their breath.

We aren't verbally attacked if we choose to hold hands with someone we care about. People don't tell us that we need psychiatric help when we tell them who we love. We can marry who we want, when we want, where we want, and our spouse will get spousal benefits.

So why are folks all hot and bothered about Pride Week? One whole week is dedicated to gay, lesbian and bisexual people. They have workshops and educational speakers for themselves and, hopefully, others to attend. The rest of us have the whole year to be proud of who we are. During this one week, we can take a risk and be open-minded. We can listen and try to understand, or, at the very least, we cannot change out of our jeans.

I was embarrassed to wear jeans once, but when I actually thought about it, I was more embarrassed to have changed them. It's pretty darned arrogant to assume there is only one way to be in the world. What right does anyone have to say that love is wrong?

If there was a little more love and understanding in the world, Pride Week would be unnecessary. Everyone could be proud of who they are every day of the year. Wow, wouldn't that be great? No one would have to be have to be afraid of introducing who they love to their friends. It wouldn't matter who you loved.

College is supposed to expand your mind. It is also supposed to open it to other viewpoints. Before you change out of your jeans, consider what you know about gay, lesbian and bisexual people. Imagine the roles were reversed. Imagine you could be beaten, verbally abused or fired because of who you love. Take a chance and learn. What have you got to lose? I did and I've learned a lot. I won't change my clothes this year.

Why are people so afraid of love?