Boston Straight Pride Parade

Submission 33,485

Part of a series on LGBTQ+ Pride Month. [View Related Entries]

Overview

The Boston Straight Pride Parade refers to a controversial event planned by the group Super Happy Fun America ostensibly held to celebrate heterosexuals in society. The event, planned to take place in Boston, Massachusetts in late August 2019, was widely criticized as a mockery of LGBTQ Pride parades, which were launched to honor the history and culture of a demographic minority that has been subject to discrimination for centuries.

Background

On May 30th, 2019, Straight Pride Parade Vice President Mark Sahady wrote on Facebook, ^[1] "It looks like the Boston Straight Pride Parade will happen. We filed a discrimination complaint and it appears the City of Boston understands they would lose in litigation. The city is now working with us on the parade. We will have the streets closed and be allowed floats and vehicles. The tentative date is 8/31 but will be finalized in the next few weeks." The post received more than 1,800 reactions, 1,000 shares and 495 comments in one week (shown below).

Developments

Online Reaction

Many reacted negatively to the announcement of the parade, both mocking and criticizing the founders and parade. Twitter user @AntiFashGordon tweeted, "There were a lot of tweets about the “Straight Pride” parade that’s going to be held in Boston in August. It’s just a rebrand of Resist Marxism, a violent far-right group based in Boston, MA. Let’s meet the organizer, Mark Sahady, and see his ties to violence and hate."^[2] In the thread, the user connects Sahady to various hate groups and their events, such as the Proud Boy and Patriot Prayer.

Twitter^[3] user @davitydave responded to an article in the Washington Post about the parade, "It's journalistic malpractice to omit from this article that Mark Sahady is a member of Resist Marxism, an anti-semitic alt-right group that's associated with the Proud Boys and white nationalism." The tweet received more than 270 likes and 110 retweets in 24 hours (shown below, center).

Captain America actor Chris Evans tweeted,^[4] "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??" The tweet received more than 116,000 likes and 25,000 retweets in 24 hours (shown below, right).

Twitter^[5] user Shawn Olson tweeted a rainbow flag with an explanation of Pride. It reads, "Gay Pride was not born of a need to celebrate being gay, but our right to exist without persecution. So instead of wondering why there isn't a straight pride movement, be thankful you don't need one." The post received more than 12,000 retweets and 34,000 likes in 24 hours (shown below).

Redditor^[6] EllieDeeZoe posted a Twitter exchange between RuPaul's Drag Race contestants Laila McQueen and Trixie Mattel. The post received more than 4,600 points (92% upvoted) and 320 comments in 24 hours (shown below).

Twitter user @evaandheriud tweeted a mocking video of someone excited for the parade. They captioned the post, "me explaining to my boyfriend why we’re going to straight pride." The post received more than 2.9 million views, 160,000 likes and 46,000 retweets in 24 hours (shown below).

The rock band Smash Mouth tweeted, "Straight Pride Parade? FUCK OFF!!!!!!!!" The tweet received more than 284,000 likes and 94,000 retweets in 24 hours (shown below).

Tomi Lahren's Response

On June 6th, 2019, Twitter user @existentialfish posted a video of Tomi Lahren responding to the Boston Straight Pride Parade backlash on Fox Nation (shown below). The video gained 500 likes and 160 retweets in a day. Lahren rants about how it's "taboo" to celebrate straightness and says, "Don’t forget, it is open season on straight white men in this country and y’all aren’t allowed to celebrate your straightness."

That day many Twitter users responded negatively to the rant. Twitter user @JKuenzie^[12] said, "Had no idea I was being persecuted. Opening GoFundMe account tonight. Thanks Tomi!" (shown below, left) while @TessEractica^[13] tweeted, "Translating from Tomilish to English: 'open season' means 'no longer center of all attention'" (shown below, right).

Mascot

In early June 2019, Super Happy Fun America named Brad Pitt^[14] the unofficial mascot of the parade (shown below, left). Brad Pitt's lawyers demanded the organizers of parade take any pictures or mention of Brad Pitt off their page. They obliged (shown below, right). On June 7th, Super Happy parade^[15] announced that Milo Yiannopoulos has replaced the former mascot saying that there would be a live stream of Yiannoloulos speaking with the parade organizers on June 10th at 1pm on YouTube. The stream never aired on YouTube.