Don't Tell Me What to Be Proud Of

Recently I was told that I should be proud of my heritage, meaning that I should take pride in being from North Carolina. Why would I be proud of being from a place where I am often not accepted as I am? Why would I be proud of being in a place where people say that I am trying to be different. I am who I am for myself not because of what others might think. Which part of my heritage should I be proud of? One side of my family is from Upstate New York and the other half is from North Carolina. I have ancestors from England, Germany and possibly Scotland, Ireland and/or France. I do not know how much this affects who I am. I am not my heritage. I am not going to limit myself like that. I enjoy being eclectic. I am happy being a gay socialist anarchist who is drawn to different cultures. As long as I am happy with that no one else matters.