I ended up being dragged in a very heated debate with a (self-proclaimed) native speaker after a friend posted the following comment on the internet:
"... At last, I've been approved for something. That's a first for my kind." (last part referring to his homosexuality)
Now, his first claim was that "a first for my kind" was not proper English, and that there was no such expression. We've been accused of many different things, including making random sentences and calling it English. This is seriously getting on my nerves as I don't like being made to feel like an impostor so I'm asking for help.
Sentence: Being approved for something was a first for my kind.
- Is this grammatically "proper" English?
- Does it sound natural?
- In a similar situation, would a native speaker (be it from US, GB or any other place) formulate their thoughts using such a sentence?