Sahady’s co-organizer, Hugo, was backed by the “ alt-lite” group Resist Marxism during his unsuccessful run for Massachusetts’ Fifth Congressional District last year.Īccording to activist Terry Roethlein, a lead organizer of New York City’s Queer Liberation March, the Straight Pride Parade is essentially a funhouse mirror version of an event planned at the Center, the city’s LGBTQ community space, in May. The mob called him a “faggot,” threw him to the ground, and kicked him repeatedly. He also has connections to the Proud Boys, the group that was responsible for violently beating a man who stole one of their MAGA hats on the streets of New York City in October 2018.
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In an era that has given rise to the alt-right and where the president employs anti-LGBTQ lobbyists, perhaps the least surprising element of Boston’s Straight Pride is that its organizers have been linked to far-right white supremacist groups.Īs ThinkProgress was the first to report, Mark Sahady - one of three men credited with organizing the event - has ties to the New Hampshire American Guard and the Massachusetts Patriot Front, both of which the American Defamation League defines as a white supremacist groups. Vox spoke with LGBTQ organizers and historians across the US to get to the bottom of the Straight Pride Parade: What is it and why is it happening in 2019? Straight Pride Parade organizers are connected to the alt-right Many wondered: What the heck is a Straight Pride Parade, anyway? Who will participate? Will there be floats? Or is it just a Chick-fil-A drive-thru? While news of the event inspired the expected maelstrom of outrage - including condemnations from Avengers star Chris Evans and even the band Smash Mouth - its existence has largely been met with confusion. Yiannopoulos, who is gay, claimed in a statement announcing his participation that he has “spent entire career advocating for the rights of America’s most brutally repressed identity: straight people.” Milo Yiannopoulos. Last week, the city of Boston approved the permit application for the parade, which will be held on August 31 and feature alt-right figure Milo Yiannopoulos as its grand marshal. Until that time, we have no other choice but to host our own events.” Straight Pride co-organizer John Hugo told Vox in an email, “Perhaps one day straights will be honored with inclusion and the acronym will be LGBTQS. The group says they requested the same route as the Boston Pride Parade, which marched from Copley Square to Government Square on June 8. In June, a group calling itself Super Happy Fun America announced it was planning a Straight Pride Parade in Boston. So, with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots happening this year, it was inevitable that straight people would decide they wanted in on the action. There’s always someone in a non-marginalized community who wonders, “Where’s my trophy?”
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The same is true for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May, National Hispanic-Latino Heritage Month in September, and National American Indian Heritage Month in November.
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Every year when Black History Month rolls around, a certain segment of the American public asks themselves, “Yes, but what about all the good things white people have done?” Last year, a report from Public Policy Polling found that 35 to 37 percent of Trump supporters feel the United States should have a dedicated month to celebrate the history and contributions of Caucasians. Boston’s Straight Pride was only a matter of time.