Quick-Thinking Man Captures Footage of an Elusive Straight Pride Parade

Impact

Finally!

Earlier in the year, Catholic League President Bill Donohue took to the radio to lament the current state of "straight pride." He was so cross, he even asked NYC Pride Parade officials if he could march in the parade under the banner "Straight is Great." Unfortunately for everyone, although officials (not to mention the president of GLAAD) personally invited Donohue's inclusion, he backed out.

Donohue is representative of those people who complain about gay pride being exclusive, following-up with the pseudo-threat of creating a "straight pride" movement. Given his outspoken desire to be included, perhaps Donohue made an appearance in a "straight pride parade" recently caught on camera by YouTube user OneUpdateataTime:

Alright, it's just a joke. Sorry everyone, there is no organized straight parade coming to a city near you. But the point sticks because the reality is that every day is a straight pride parade.

As the intrepid videographer noted:

"I feel there's a common criticism of any form of pride events or nationals days or any attempt to bring minorities into the light or be represented and that criticism is from a member of an oppressive majority that selfishly goes, 'But what about US? Where's OUR day/parade? That's not equality!'" he said. "Pride parades and other events are to break into the hegemony of a single group being the default, to bring the minority into any tiny space they can try and grab in society to allow discussions and exposure that will benefit them by decreasing stigmas and stereotypes surrounding that minority. It helps members of that community not feel so alone and thus help combat issues like increased depression and suicide rates due to negativity surrounding them simply for who they are."

This argument seems to make perfect sense, and yet just a few days ago The O'Reilly Factor aired a segment openly mocking participants in San Francisco's Pride parade, while also playing up tired stereotypes about the LGBT community and implying the parade was "shoving" an agenda down (ostensibly the straight community's) throats.

What Donohoue and other anti-gay activists fail to understand, the videographer continues, is that Pride parades and events don't actually take away any of the majority's influence or agency. Straight parades don't exist for the simple reason that they're not needed. When was the last time you thought, man, I haven't heard what the heterosexual community has been up to these past couple of years?

"It's like complaining that a poor person is having a tiny party that they've saved up for ages just to have and demanding you get a giant party too, even though you're still unwrapping presents from the last one you had," the videographer noted. "You don't get a new thing every time someone else wants to have something for themselves. You don't lose acceptance by letting someone else gain a place in society."

Exactly.