What’s the Deal with Straight Pride?

Shortly after news broke that the city of Boston received a request to hold its very first “Straight Pride,” both the city and host group immediately received backlash from LGBTQ and straight ally communities alike.

Days before Boston is to host its gay pride parade, the group, calling themselves Super Happy Fun America, submitted a permit request to carry out a Pride, in honor of, well, the straights.

John Hugo, leader of Super Happy Fun America, explained to CBS Boston news station WBZ that the group wants people to know that there is more than one side to every story.

“There’s a lot of people that are uncomfortable with a lot of things that are going on in our country, and they’re afraid to speak up,” Hugo said.

Boston’s Mayor Marty Walsh commented on the matter.

“Come on, I don’t know what this straight Pride parade is all about. I know that we have a Pride parade on Saturday, and that’s what I’m going to march in,” Mayor Walsh said.

Many have taken to Twitter to voice their thoughts:

Wow! Cool initiative, fellas!! Just a thought, instead of ‘Straight Pride’ parade, how about this: The ‘desperately trying to bury our own gay thoughts by being homophobic because no one taught us how to access our emotions as children’ parade? Whatta ya think? Too on the nose?? https://t.co/gaBWtq2PaL

— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) June 5, 2019

I suppose it is appropriate that the “straight pride” flag is colorless and corpse-dead, a bleak, washed-out old-timey prison-jumpsuit, oppressive and dull, as exciting as a cinderblock, as energizing as an elementary school eye-test. Oh, and homophobic as hell. Burn it. pic.twitter.com/SSWv6AG2PL

— Chuck Wendig (@ChuckWendig) June 6, 2019

straight pride march thing?

march when you fear holding your loved ones hand in a parking garage

don’t march to celebrate your privilege pls. don’t waste the worlds time and attention.

— Dan Reynolds (@DanReynolds) June 6, 2019

straight pride?? bitch the super bowl is every year!

— paty^2 (@patriciavalle15) June 5, 2019

Tell me of one occasion when you have been victimised/threatened because you were straight.

Can’t?

Yeah we don’t need straight pride.

— Jonny Vickers (@jonnyvickers) June 6, 2019

And videos have been going viral:

me explaining to my boyfriend why we’re going to straight pride pic.twitter.com/ZtXpLaV05s

— Eva Victor (@evaandheriud) June 4, 2019

If straight Pride gets the green light, plans are to hold the parade in August and to march along the same route as the LGBTQ parade happening this weekend.