I agree with most people posting. Your boyfriend is why out of line for what he said. He should be concerned for you, not embarrassed by you.

That being said, when you said:

I explained that I have been coming to terms that I will always have scars, and that I looked at them more positively. That all of my scars represented a time that I was okay with killing myself, but chose not to.

That is fine. There's no point in being ashamed with who you are. But this is worrisome.

And something a long the lines of being an awesome tiger because I've earned a lot of damned stripes. I also mentioned that I've had a few come up and thank me for being brave enough to not hide them, and that maybe they won't hide theirs some day.

You're essentially painting your scars as some sort of thing to be proud of, which is fine. But it almost seems like you plan on continuing self harm because you view it as a badge of honour; something to show off to 'inspire' others.

I'm going to go against the grain and swallow the down votes to say this: that is not healthy behaviour. Showing off your scars is fine. Being proud of beating suicide is fine, and an ongoing process. But it doesn't seem like you are admitting that it is a harmful addiction, and it seems like you're self aggrandizing your self harm in order to justify your continuation. You're even making it seem like you're doing it for others.

I can't say anything you haven't already heard, but please realize that treating your continuous self harm like it's beneficial and healthy is self destructive for yourself. It is not healthy behaviour, and you should take measures to help yourself. Maybe I'm wrong for saying this, but as much as I understand where you're coming from (my sister cuts, and my girlfriend used to) romanticizing self harm as a good thing does not benefit you.