Straight pride is a reactionary slogan that arose in the 1980s and early 1990s; the slogan has primarily been used by social conservatives as a political stance and strategy. [1] The term is described as a response to "gay pride", [2] [3] [4] a slogan adopted by various groups (later united under the moniker LGBT) in the early 1970s.
Straight pride backlash incidents have generated controversy and media attention. School policies and court decisions regarding freedom of expression have drawn particular attention to straight pride, spotlighting individuals protesting school expressions against harassment of LGBTQ adolescents. [4] [5] [6]
LGBTQ history traces back to ancient civilizations, but the term gay pride is usually associated with the modern LGBTQ rights movement that was sparked by the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. Newspaper coverage of the events was minor, since, in the 1960s, huge marches and mass rioting had become commonplace and the Stonewall riots were relatively small. It was the commemorative march one year later that drew 5,000 marchers up New York City's Sixth Avenue, that got nationwide publicity and led to modern-day LGBTQ pride marches. A new period of liberalism in the late 1960s began a new era of more social acceptance of homosexuality which lasted until the late 1970s. In the 1970s, the popularity of disco music and its culture in many ways made society more accepting of gays and lesbians.
Late in 1979, a new religious revival among conservative Catholics and evangelical Protestants ushered in the conservatism politically aligned with the Christian right that would reign in the United States during the 1980s, [7] [8] [9] becoming another obstacle to the progress of the LGBTQ rights movement. During the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, LGBTQ communities were further stigmatized as they became the focus of mass hysteria, suffered isolation and marginalization, and were targeted with extreme acts of violence. [10]
Heterosexual pride parades exist as a response to societal acceptance of LGBTQ visibility and originated in campuses in the 1990s as a backlash tactic. [1] [4]
Incidents where the slogan or concept of "Straight pride" caused controversy have occurred since the late 1980s. In 1988, Vermont Republican John Burger asked the state's Governor to establish a "Straight Pride Day". [11] In 1990, rallies in support of Straight Pride were held at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) organized by the group Young Americans for Freedom; and at nearby Mount Holyoke College. [12] The UMass event was promoted as a "Burn a Fag in Effigy" rally. [13] Conservative organizations at UMass Amherst held another such event the next year, attended by about fifty people and protested by a crowd estimated to be ten times larger. [14]
"Straight pride parades" [15] [16] [17] or "straight pride days" [11] [18] [19] [20] have been organized in response to similar events organized by LGBTQ groups. [21] Other events, typically occurring in United States high schools where First Amendment concerns arise, [22] have revolved around people desiring to wear "straight pride" t-shirts. [23] [24] [25] [26] [27]
At a 2010 Tea Party Express rally in Lansing, the state capital of Michigan, a vendor was selling t-shirts printed with the slogan "straight pride". [28] Some state and national gay advocacy groups denounced the shirts, claiming that they echoed the use by racist groups of a "white pride" slogan. Some of the opposition arose from reports that the shirt seller was a sponsor of the event with a cut of sales funding the Tea Party Express, although those reports may not have been accurate. [28] [29]
Support for straight pride events is often based on religious objections to homosexuality. [14] [30] Groups such as the White Aryan Resistance and Ku Klux Klan have also tried to oppose "gay pride" by stressing straight pride. [31]
In May 2005, the northern Canadian city of Yellowknife announced that it would mark both a gay and straight pride day. [18] After the mayor proclaimed June 10, 2005, as Gay Pride Day, Councillor Alan Woytuik proposed that there be a Heterosexual Day. The mayor agreed and set it for June 9. Woytuik defended the proposal for Heterosexual Day by stating that "recognizing the contributions of heterosexuals is just as legitimate as recognizing the contributions of gay and lesbian communities." The group seeking the Gay Pride Day designation was dismayed, asking if Black History Month would be partnered with White Heritage Month and whether days marking heart disease and strokes should be paired with days celebrating good health. [18] Woytuik's request for Heterosexual Day was widely reported on. Shocked by the attention, he withdrew his request for the proclamation and apologized. He referred to his request as a simple one seeking to treat everyone the same which was blown out of proportion. The city subsequently rescinded its proclamation of Heterosexual Day. [32]
In 2010, a heterosexual pride march was held in Budapest. Following the route of an earlier gay pride parade, one hundred people participated including two politicians. The march's stated goal was to prevent future use of public spaces by homosexuals for gatherings. [17]
In August 2011, the city council of São Paulo, Brazil, designated the third Sunday in December as Heterosexual Pride Day (Portuguese : Dia do Orgulho Hétero). [19] Debate in Brazil over this decision was intense. [33] [34] Evangelical supporter Carlos Apolinário, who previously tried to ban São Paulo Gay Pride Parade, [33] told reporters that his idea was "not anti-gay, but a protest against the privileges the gay community enjoys". The Brazilian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Association criticized this claim, arguing "it could provoke homophobic violence." [35]
In October 2018, Chipman, New Brunswick resident Glenn Bishop put up a straight pride flag, which was taken down a short while later by LGBTQ people. Hoisting the straight flag was likened to "putting up a swastika" by local Margaret Clark. The flag drew further protests. [37]
Don Grundmann, a Bay Area chiropractor, founded the National Straight Pride Coalition (NSPC) in Spring of 2019 for "protecting traditional gender roles, Christianity, heterosexuality, Western Civilization, babies, and the contributions of whites to Western Civilization from the malevolence of the homosexual movement." [38] Grundmann had previously founded Citizens Against Perversion and American Warrior Ministry. [38] The NSPC's first event was planned to be at Modesto, California's Mancini Bowl, the Graceada Park amphitheater, but the permit was denied for safety and compatibility issues, and because their insurance was voided. [39] After failing again to get the needed insurance for a public venue because of the nature of their event, [40] they moved the rally to a private space but were shut down by the owners when they were alerted the event was live streaming and more counter-protesters would likely arrive. [38] The owners were unaware of the nature of the event or group and have disavowed their involvement. [38] After the rally was kicked out of the private venue, they moved to the parking lot of the area's Planned Parenthood, which was closed. [41] "Grundmann had predicted some 500 attendees, but reports put the number closer to 20." [41] Counter-protestors outnumbered participants ten-to-one. [41]
The group Super Happy Fun America (SHFA) organized an August 31 "Straight Pride Parade" [42] that attracted several hundred participants and thousands of protesters. [43] Counter-protesters vastly outnumbered attendees of the parade. [44] [45] SHFA called the event "a response to the 'identity politics' of the left." [42] Emerson College's president M. Lee Pelton warned about the event, as the parade route, starting at Copley Square and ending at Boston City Hall, borders the college campus. He said the event represents "fear and ignorance, humanity's most potent cocktail, masquerading as freedom of speech" [42] in response to which SHFA organizer Samson Racioppi asked for a retraction and apology. [42] The SHFA group was created in 2017 by Kyle Chapman, who founded the group Fraternal Order of the Alt-Knights a week after the Charlottesville Unite the Right riot. [46] Staff include president John Hugo, former Republican Congressional candidate; and vice president Mark Sahady, "a member of the right-wing group Resist Marxism, who has organized several right-wing demonstrations in the past." [42] SHFA announced the event in June 2019. Racioppi, Sahady, and Hugo contacted the police in early July 2019 when envelopes filled with glitter were mailed to them. [47] One of the event's attendees, Marky Hutt, previously founded a group for gay Trump supporters; he said the organizers of the Straight Pride event had invited him to attend, and he was present at the event with his fiancé. [43]
Thirty-four counter-protesters were arrested at the event. Boston city councilor Michelle Wu suggested that police tactics and choice of equipment raised tensions between police and counter-protesters. [48]
"All students benefit from the respectful and thoughtful exchange of ideas and sharing of beliefs and practices. Schools, in particular, are environments that can provide education of both the substance of diversity and the responsible manner with which such diversity is approached and expressed" [49]
In 2001, Woodbury High School in Woodbury, Minnesota, a suburb of Saint Paul, Minnesota, created homophobia-free areas called "safe zones" designated by an inverted pink triangle and intended for gay students. [24] Student Elliot Chambers reacted by wearing a makeshift sweatshirt with the slogan "Straight Pride" and the image of male and female stick figures holding hands. In light of previous anti-gay incidents, the school's principal ordered Chambers to remove the shirt, and a court case ensued. [5] A court upheld Chambers's complaint that his First Amendment rights had been violated, and that the principal's decision was unjustified. [5] Although praising the principal's intentions, the judge explained that views of both sides of the debate should be allowed and that such issues should be resolved within the school's community, not within the court system. [5] Based on the precedent of Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District , the court stated that the substantial disruptions claimed by the school must be shown to have some connection to Chambers's sweatshirt message of "Straight Pride". [50]
In 2010, in response to suicides amongst gay adolescents, an Ally Week was held at St. Charles North High School in St. Charles, Illinois. On the first day of this Ally Week, though, three students arrived wearing "Straight Pride" t-shirts. The back of these t-shirts displayed "Leviticus 20:13", a verse stating that men who perform homosexual acts should be put to death. While the school did not force the students to remove their t-shirts, it did persuade them to remove the Bible quotation. The following day two different students arrived wearing "Straight Pride" t-shirts minus the Bible quotations and were consequently asked to remove their shirts. [6] [51]
In school environments, straight pride expressions and events have been reviewed within a framework of balancing freedom of expression with protection of other students. In some situations, schools take actions against students who are open about or encourage hiding homosexuality, or limit clothing that has references to sexual orientation. Such may prompt lawsuits. In the Minnesota Chambers v. Babbitt case, "The court noted that maintaining a school community of tolerance includes tolerance of such viewpoints as expressed by 'Straight Pride' as well as tolerance of homosexuality." Students (including openly gay students) who are valued and respected are "more likely to learn and achieve than students who are not". [52]
The LGBTQ community is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning individuals united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality. LGBTQ activists and sociologists see LGBTQ community-building as a counterweight to heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, sexualism, and conformist pressures that exist in the larger society. The term pride or sometimes gay pride expresses the LGBTQ community's identity and collective strength; pride parades provide both a prime example of the use and a demonstration of the general meaning of the term. The LGBTQ community is diverse in political affiliation. Not all people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender consider themselves part of the LGBTQ community.
A straight ally, heterosexual ally, cisgender ally, or cis ally is a heterosexual and cisgender person who supports equal civil rights, gender equality, and LGBTQ+ social movements. Individuals may meet this designation through their actions without actively identifying as an ally.
Day of Silence is an annual day of action organized by GLSEN to spread awareness about the effects of the bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) students. In the United States, students take a day-long vow of silence to symbolically represent the silencing of LGBTQ students.
LGBTQ culture is a culture shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals. It is sometimes referred to as queer culture, LGBT culture, and LGBTQIA culture, while the term gay culture may be used to mean either "LGBT culture" or homosexual culture specifically.
Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families, & Friends is an international organization for individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, queer, intersex, or same-sex attracted, and their family members, friends, and church leaders who are members or former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people in Ukraine face significant challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ individuals; historically, the prevailing social and political attitudes have been intolerant of LGBTQ people, and strong evidence suggests this attitude remains in parts of the wider society. Since the fall of the Soviet Union and Ukraine's independence in 1991, the Ukrainian LGBTQ community has gradually become more visible and more organized politically, organizing several LGBTQ events in Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, and Kryvyi Rih.
The origin of the LGBTQ student movement can be linked to other activist movements from the mid-20th century in the United States. The Civil Rights Movement and Second-wave feminist movement were working towards equal rights for other minority groups in the United States. Though the student movement began a few years before the Stonewall riots, the riots helped to spur the student movement to take more action in the US. Despite this, the overall view of these gay liberation student organizations received minimal attention from contemporary LGBTQ historians. This oversight stems from the idea that the organizations were founded with haste as a result of the riots. Others historians argue that this group gives too much credit to groups that disagree with some of the basic principles of activist LGBTQ organizations.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Turkey face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents, though the overall situation is considered to be less repressive when compared to most other Muslim-majority countries.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Georgia face severe challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. However, Georgia is one of the few post-Soviet states that directly prohibits discrimination against all LGBT people in legislation, labor-related or otherwise. Since 2012, Georgian law has considered crimes committed on the grounds of one's sexual orientation or gender identity an aggravating factor in prosecution. The legislative ban on discrimination has been enacted as a part of the Government efforts to bring the country closer to the European Union and make the country's human rights record in line with the demands of Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
New Zealand society is generally accepting of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) peoples. The LGBTQ-friendly environment is epitomised by the fact that there are several members of Parliament who belong to the LGBTQ community, LGBTQ rights are protected by the Human Rights Act, and same-sex couples are able to marry as of 2013. Sex between men was decriminalised in 1986. New Zealand has an active LGBTQ community, with well-attended annual gay pride festivals in most cities.
Pride is the promotion of the rights, self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to shame and social stigma, is the predominant outlook that bolsters most LGBTQ rights movements. Pride has lent its name to LGBTQ-themed organizations, institutes, foundations, book titles, periodicals, a cable TV channel, and the Pride Library.
The Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride Festival is an annual series of events which celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) life in Dublin, Ireland. It is the largest LGBTQ+ pride festival on the island of Ireland. The festival culminates in a pride parade which is held annually on the last Saturday in June. The event has grown from a one-day event in 1974 to a ten-day festival celebrating LGBT culture in Ireland with an expanded arts, social and cultural content.
In the United States, the Day of Dialogue is the Christian fundamentalist group Focus on the Family's annual event to oppose LGBTQ rights. It was founded by the Alliance Defense Fund in 2005 to oppose the Day of Silence, an annual day of protest against the harassment and bullying of LGBTQ students that was organized by Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network. Since 2018 the Day of Dialogue is not marked on a single date or organized nationally.
Youth pride, an extension of the Gay pride and LGBT social movements, promotes equality amongst young members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer (LGBTIQ+) community. The movement exists in many countries and focuses mainly on festivals and parades, enabling many LGBTIQ+ youth to network, communicate, and celebrate their gender and sexual identities.
Historically speaking, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people have not been given equal treatment and rights by both governmental actions and society's general opinion. Much of the intolerance for LGBTQ individuals come from lack of education around the LGBTQ community, and contributes to the stigma that results in same-sex marriage being legal in few countries (31) and persistence of discrimination, such as in the workplace.
New York City has been described as the gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ sociopolitical ecosystem, and is home to one of the world's largest and most prominent LGBTQ+ populations. Brian Silverman, the author of Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day, wrote the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most powerful LGBT communities", and "Gay and lesbian culture is as much a part of New York's basic identity as yellow cabs, high-rise buildings, and Broadway theatre". LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states, "The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth, and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs". LGBTQ advocate and entertainer Madonna stated metaphorically, "Anyways, not only is New York City the best place in the world because of the queer people here. Let me tell you something, if you can make it here, then you must be queer."
The following outline offers an overview and guide to LGBTQ topics:
Austin, Texas, has one of the most prominent and active LGBT populations in the United States. Austin was acclaimed by The Advocate in 2012 as part of its Gayest Cities in America, and was recognized by Travel and Leisure as one of America's Best Cities for Gay Travel. Much of Austin's gay nightlife scene is clustered around 4th Street. LGBT activism groups Atticus Circle and Equality Texas are headquartered in Austin.
LGBT culture in Baltimore, Maryland is an important part of the culture of Baltimore, as well as being a focal point for the wider LGBT community in the Baltimore metropolitan area. Mount Vernon, known as Baltimore's gay village, is the central hub of the city's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities.
Super Happy Fun America (SHFA) is a Massachusetts-based right-wing political organization. SHFA and its leaders are known for their ties to white nationalism and the far-right, and the organization has been described by The Daily Beast as a front for the far-right organization Resist Marxism. The group first became known for organizing the 2019 Boston Straight Pride Parade, a parade which attracted several hundred participants and thousands of counterprotesters. In addition to rallying in support of "straight pride", the group has opposed COVID-19 prevention measures, vaccine mandates, and Black Lives Matter.
A relatively recent tactic used in the backlash opposing les/bi/gay/trans campus visibility is the so-called 'heterosexual pride' strategy.
Not surprisingly, individuals in the pride stage are most criticized not only by heterosexual persons but also many LGBT individuals, who are uncomfortable forcing the majority to share the discomfort. Heterosexual individuals may express bewilderment at the term 'gay pride,' arguing that they do not talk about 'straight pride'.
MONTPELIER - John Burger of state Republican Assembly wants Gov. Kunin to designate Nov. 8 'Straight Pride Day,' says Assembly will support move. Burger: 'I don't see any reason why straights can't be proud of their straightness.'
Amherst, Mass. A 'straight pride' demonstration by conservative students at the University of Massachusetts in March was broken up by gay protesters. (Last year the event was billed provocatively as the 'Burn a Fag in Effigy' rally.)
The city's gay pride parade on Sunday has a rival – a straight pride parade organized at the same time and on practically the same route.
About 100 people marched through downtown Ferndale on Sunday morning in a Straight Pride Parade...
On college campuses, where gay student groups are no longer unusual, 'you see increased incidences[ spelling? ] of straight pride rallies in retaliation against gay pride activities'...
The public schools have been the locus in recent years of what might be called the T-shirt wars, with a number of federal constitutional lawsuits addressing the general question of whether 'a public high school [may] prohibit students from wearing Tshirts with messages that condemn and denigrate other students on the basis of their sexual orientation,' and specific questions as to whether a range of T-shirt slogans from 'Homosexuality is Shameful "Romans 1:27"' to 'Straight Pride' and 'Be Happy, Not Gay' qualify for such a prohibition.