麻豆传媒

As pride month gets underway, marking the triumphs and struggles of the LGBTQ community, calls for a 鈥淪traight Pride鈥� parade in Boston have sparked outrage on social media.

Three men operating under the name have presented the City of Boston with a list of demands to hold a parade celebrating 鈥渢he diverse history, culture, and contributions of the straight community.鈥�

Organizers say they have petitioned the city for a permit asking that they be granted the same parade route as the Boston Pride parade, including street closures and permits for vehicles and floats.

鈥淪traight people are an oppressed majority,鈥� reads a quote from the group鈥檚 president John Hugo.

鈥淲e will fight for the right of straights everywhere to express pride in themselves without fear of judgement and hate. The day will come when straights will finally be included as equals among all of the other orientations.鈥�

The proposed parade immediately sparked outrage on social media, especially within the LGBTQ community.

鈥淲hy is there no straight pride? Because I鈥檝e never had to do the following things to be straight: fight, march, face discrimination, be ridiculed,鈥� 鈥淚f you鈥檙e mad that people are marching, stop giving them a reason to march.鈥�

Others mocked the idea by encouraging a straight pride parade.

鈥淚鈥檓 all for straight pride. Let them have all the things queer people have鈥攆ear and anxiety when in public, an upbringing of shame and psychological abuse, uncertainty about whether the rights you've gained will be taken away at any given moment,鈥�

鈥楶ride is a defiant statement against shame鈥�

The so-called 鈥渉eterosexual activists鈥� are missing the point of the pride movement, according to Tom Hooper, a historian at Toronto鈥檚 York University.

鈥淭he question I am asking myself is 鈥榃hy is [pride] offensive to the heterosexual community?鈥� Because it seems to me that is the conversation going on here,鈥� Hooper told CTVNews.ca

鈥淧ride has never been about whether somebody should be proud of themselves; pride is something that we celebrate in defiance of shame.鈥�

Hooper notes that the catalyst for the pride movement began with the Stonewall riots, the uprising against police raids targeting the LGBTQ community. This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the riots.

But the historian, whose research subjects include the Toronto bathhouse raids, says that鈥檚 not to suggest heterosexuals don鈥檛 belong at pride. In fact, he notes that some of the same laws that targeted gay bathhouses were used to target straight swingers clubs.

鈥淸Pride] is not about including or excluding; it鈥檚 about the purpose that brings people out into the street,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e want to proclaim that we are not going to be ashamed because of our sexuality.鈥�

But the argument for straight pride is not new鈥擧ooper says the same calls were heard in the 1980鈥檚, and have continued for years.

鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the ways in which we are still being attacked,鈥� he explained.

鈥淚t鈥檚 meant to diminish the shame we experience in our day to day lives.鈥�

麻豆传媒 contacted the organizers of Boston Straight Pride for comment on the controversy but did not receive a response.

According to the City of Boston, the group has been in contact regarding their proposal, but has not yet received the necessary permits to host a parade.

In a statement to CTVNews.ca, Boston Pride President Linda Demarco said that organizers will welcome everyone to the parade, , including straight allies.

鈥淲e know that straight allies of the LGBTQ community are among the thousands of supporters who come out every year to march, observe and celebrate,鈥� Demarco said in the statement.

鈥淲e are looking forward to seeing our straight friends, family, and neighbors at the Boston Pride parade and festival this Saturday along with members of the LGBTQ community.鈥�