Straight pride: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
AV3000 (talk | contribs)
5,995 edits
→‎Advocacy and opposition: remove superfluous; add quotes
No edit summary
(28 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 4: Line 4:
{{Merge |Gay pride |discuss=Talk:Straight pride#Proposed merge |date=March 2012}}
{{Merge |Gay pride |discuss=Talk:Straight pride#Proposed merge |date=March 2012}}


'''Straight Pride''' (or '''Heterosexual Pride''') is an anti-gay slogan used by isolated [[social conservative]] groups and a few municipal governments. It is used in response to "[[Gay pride]]", a political stance and slogan adopted by various [[LGBT]] groups in the early 1970s. Unrelated sporadic "Straight Pride" [[Backlash (sociology)|backlash]] incidents have generated controversy and have gained limited media attention.
'''Straight Pride''' (or '''Heterosexual Pride''') is an anti-gay slogan that arose in the early 1990s and has been used primarily by [[social conservative]] groups. It is generally used in response to "[[Gay pride]]", a political stance and slogan adopted by various [[LGBT]] groups in the early 1970s. "Straight Pride" [[Backlash (sociology)|backlash]] incidents have generated some controversy and media attention.


==Incidents==
==Background==
As heterosexuals do not generally celebrate "Straight Pride" for its own sake,<ref name="donthaveem">Eliason, Michele. [http://books.google.com/books?id=wkrcU5Z2FrcC&pg=PA55&dq=%22straight+pride%22+origin&hl=en&sa=X&ei=a0R7T5aGK6r10gGD--mkBg&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22straight%20pride%22%20origin&f=false Who cares?: institutional barriers to health care for lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons], p.55 (1996)</ref> the concept can cause confusion.<ref name="Shifting Sands">{{cite journal|last=Eliason|first=Michael|coauthors=Schope, Robert|title=Shifting Sands or Solid Foundation? Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Identity Formation|journal=The Health of Sexual Minorities|year=2007|volume=1 |pages=3-26|doi=10.1007/97803873133441}}</ref> A number of incidents have occurred starting in 1990, where the slogan or concept of "Straight pride" has caused controversy. The first known reported events were in 1990, at the [[University of Massachusetts]] (organized by a group called "Young Americans for Freedom") and nearby [[Mount Holyoke College]].<ref name="straigh1">(6 May 1990). [http://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/06/style/campus-life-umass-mount-holyoke-rallies-opposing-gay-students-disrupt-campuses.html Rallies Opposing Gay Students Disrupt Campuses], ''[[The New York Times]]''</ref> The next year, in 1991, [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]] organizations at [[University of Massachusetts]] organized a "Straight Pride" rally, attended by about 50 people, but a crowd about ten times larger protested the rally.<ref name="1991one">{{cite news|title=Campus Life: Massachusetts; Angry Gay Groups Drown Out Rally By Conservatives|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/10/nyregion/campus-life-massachusetts-angry-gay-groups-drown-out-rally-by-conservatives.html|accessdate=23 March 2012|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=10 March 1991}}</ref> Notably, student Theodore G. Maravelias, organizer of these early rallies, subsequently went on to a career of opposing rights for gays including gay marriage.<ref name="ted1">(15 February 2012). [http://www.npr.org/2012/02/15/146887738/n-h-lawmakers-consider-rolling-back-gay-marriage N.H. Lawmakers Consider Rolling Back Gay Marriage], ''NPR''</ref>
The heterosexual community, which does not generally celebrate "Straight Pride", can find the concept of "Pride" bewildering.<ref name="Shifting Sands">{{cite journal|last=Eliason|first=Michael|coauthors=Schope, Robert|title=Shifting Sands or Solid Foundation? Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Identity Formation|journal=The Health of Sexual Minorities|year=2007|volume=1|pages=3-26|doi=10.1007/97803873133441}}</ref>


Typical events which draw media attention are "Straight pride parades"<ref name="London">(8 July 1999). [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/434510701.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jul+08%2C+1999&author=&pub=Waterloo+Region+Record&desc=London+hosts+straight+and+gay+pride+parades&pqatl=google London hosts straight and gay pride parades], ''Kitchener Record'' ("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.")</ref><ref name="oakland2002">(17 June 2002). [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/freep/access/1815267481.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+17%2C+2002&author=&pub=Detroit+Free+Press&desc=OAKLAND+TODAY&pqatl=google Oakland Today - Marchers take part in straight pride parade], ''Detroit Free Press'' ("About 100 people marched through downtown Ferndale on Sunday morning in a Straight Pride Parade")</ref><ref name = "Budapest"/> or "Straight Pride days",<ref name = "Yellowknife"/><ref name="Brazil"/><ref name="etsu">(17 October 1997). [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=TORB&p_theme=torb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=110FE9B22D968458&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Straight Pride Day fails at ETSU campus], ''The Oak Ridger''</ref> often organized in response to similar events organized by gay groups. Other events, typically occurring in United States high schools where [[First Amendment]] concerns arise,<ref name="first04">(3 October 2004). [http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2004/10/03/they-dress-to-express.html They Dress To Express], ''Newsweek''</ref> have revolved around people desiring to wear "Straight Pride" t-shirts.<ref name="gender1">Case Mary Anne. ''A Lot to Ask: Review Essay of Martha Nussbaum's from Disgust to Humanity: Sexual Orientation and Constitutional Law'', 19 Colum. J. Gender & L. 89, 118 (2010) (discussing "T-shirt wars" that "condemn and denigrate other students on the basis of their sexual orientation)</ref><ref name="Fenton"/><ref name="t-shirt10">(8 September 2003). [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=FMTB&p_theme=fmtb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0FDC12F5483FB98B&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Telling it (too much) like it is], ''Fort Morgan Times''</ref><ref name="t-shirt1998">(8 June 1998). [http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=39c_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=ISEGAAAAIBAJ&pg=3934,5119685&dq=straight-pride+day&hl=en Gay pride display removed], ''Lodi News Sentinel'' (Associated Press story)</ref><ref name="tshirt2343">Saunders, Kevin W. [http://books.google.com/books?id=Iy8xpWdWGZIC&pg=PA188&dq=%22straight+pride%22+origin&hl=en&sa=X&ei=a0R7T5aGK6r10gGD--mkBg&ved=0CFcQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=%22straight%20pride%22%20origin&f=false Degradation: What the History of Obscenity Tells Us About Hate Speech], p. 187-88 (2011)</ref> Other appearances of the slogan, such as appearance of Straight Pride t-shirts for sale at a Michigan [[Tea Party movement|Tea Party]] rally in 2010 have also drawn some attention.<ref name="tea1">{{cite news|last=Heywood|first=Todd|title='Straight pride' shirts at Tea Party rally draw fire|url=http://michiganmessenger.com/36668/straight-pride-shirts-at-tea-party-rally-draw-fire|accessdate=23 March 2012|newspaper=Michigan Messenger|date=12 April 2010}}</ref><ref name="tea2">{{cite book|last=Lepore|first=Jill|title=The whites of their eyes: the Tea Party's revolution and the battle over American history|year=2010|publisher=Princeton Univ. Press|location=Princeton, N.J.|isbn=978-0-691-15027-7|pages=126-127}}</ref> While often based on religious objections to homosexuality,<ref name="1991one"/><ref name="regli2">(6 September 2009). [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NT&s_site=duluthsuperior&p_multi=DU&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=12A8DFB7B6317D48&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM What does one wear to a straight pride parade?], ''Duluth News Tribune''</ref> some more radical groups such as the [[White Aryan Resistance]] and [[Ku Klux Klan]] have also tried to oppose "gay pride" by stressing straight pride.<ref name="Blazak">{{cite journal | last = Blazak | first = Randy | title = White boys to terrorist men: Target recruitment of Nazi Skinheads | journal = American Behavioral Scientist | volume = 44 | issue = 6 | page = 993 | date = 2001 | url = http://www.sagepub.com/martin3study/articles/Blazak.pdf | doi = 10.1177/00027640121956629 | accessdate = 2012-03-28}}</ref><Ref name = UtahDailyChronicle> http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/uncategorized/straight-pride-fliers-posted-anonymously/ ''Straight Pride’ Fliers Posted Anonymously'' Utah Daily Chronicle October 22, 2002 (Straight pride fliers posted, and removed, at the University of Utah in 2002)</ref>
[[White Aryan Resistance]] and the [[Ku Klux Klan]], in the name of equality, seek to counter counter gay pride by stressing straight pride. {{quotation|One of the most common skinhead tactics is to attempt to establish a "White student union". This method was pioneered in the 1980s by the Klan in the east and WAR in the west as simply an issue of equality. There is a Black prom queen; there should be a White prom queen. There is an Asian student union; there should be a European student union. There are gay pride stickers; there should be straight pride stickers. There is a Hispanic heritage week; there should be a European heritage week and so on. The concept of the White student union appeals to the adolescent's need for fairness and balance. Without an understanding of cultural history, in which power has been slanted in the direction of straight, White males, the concept seems just.<ref name="Blazak">{{cite journal
| last = Blazak
| first = Randy
| title = White boys to terrorist men: Target recruitment of Nazi Skinheads
| journal = American Behavioral Scientist
| volume = 44
| issue = 6
| page = 993
| date = 2001
| url = http://www.sagepub.com/martin3study/articles/Blazak.pdf
| doi = 10.1177/00027640121956629
| accessdate = 2012-03-28}}
</ref>}}
====1991, University of Massachusetts, Amherst====


==Individual Events==
In 1991, a group of [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]] organizations at [[University of Massachusetts]] organized a "Straight Pride" rally, which was attended by about 50 people. A crowd ten times that size protested the rally.<ref>{{cite news|title=Campus Life: Massachusetts; Angry Gay Groups Drown Out Rally By Conservatives|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/10/nyregion/campus-life-massachusetts-angry-gay-groups-drown-out-rally-by-conservatives.html|accessdate=23 March 2012|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=10 March 1991}}</ref>


*'''Yellowknife, Canada (2005)''': In May 2005, the northern Canadian city of [[Yellowknife]] announced that it would mark both a gay and straight pride day.<ref name = "Yellowknife">{{cite news | title = Yellowknife to mark gay and straight pride | work = CBCnews Canada | date = May 25, 2005 | url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2005/05/25/yellowknife-gaypride050525.html | accessdate = 2012-03-27}}</ref> 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<ref name = "Yellowknife" /> 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.<ref name = "rescinded" >{{cite news | title = 'Shocked' councillor withdraws Straight Pride motion | work = CBC News North | date = May 30, 2005 | url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2005/05/30/yellowknife-gay-day-30052005.html | accessdate = 2012-03-28}}</ref>
====2005, Yellowknife, Canada====


*'''Budapest, Hungary (2010)''': 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 radical nationalist politicians. The march's stated goal was to prevent future homosexual use of public spaces.<ref name = "Budapest" >{{cite web | last = MTI | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Anti-gay parade held in Budapest | work = caboodle.hu | publisher = | date = 2010-09-06 | url = http://www.caboodle.hu/nc/news/news_archive/single_page/article/11/anti_gay_par/?cHash=341a28918d | accessdate = 2012-03-28}}</ref>
On May 25, 2005, [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC News]] announced "Yellowknife to mark gay and straight pride".<ref name = "Yellowknife">{{cite news
| title = Yellowknife to mark gay and straight pride
| work = CBCnews Canada
| date = May 25, 2005
| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2005/05/25/yellowknife-gaypride050525.html
| accessdate = 2012-03-27}}</ref> The mayor of [[Yellowknife]] proclaimed June 10, 2005 as Gay Pride Day. In response, Councillor Alan Woytuik proposed that there be a Heterosexual Day. The mayor agreed and proclaimed 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."


*'''Sao Paulo, Brazil (2011)''': In August, 2011, the city council of São Paulo, Brazil, the largest city in South America and site of the large annual [[São Paulo Gay Pride Parade]], voted to designate the third Sunday in December as Heterosexual Pride Day (“Orgulho Hetero” in Portuguese).<ref name="Brazil">{{cite journal | last = Ring | first = Trudy | title = Brazilian City Seeks Heterosexual Pride Day | journal = [[The Advocate]] | date = August 4, 2011 | url = http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/08/04/Brazilian_City_Seeks_Heterosexual_Pride_Day/ | accessdate = 2012-03-28}}</ref> Debate in Brazil was intense over the controversy.<ref name = washpost1> http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/straight-pride-suggested-as-brazils-gay-pride-parade-kicks-off/2011/06/22/AGgy1JgH_blog.html "Straight Pride" as Brazil's gay pride parade kicks off By Elizabeth Flock Washington Post June 22, 2011 </ref><ref name= SauPaulopassed>{{cite web|last=Ring |first=Trudy |url=http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/08/04/Brazilian_City_Seeks_Heterosexual_Pride_Day/ |title=Brazilian City Seeks Heterosexual Pride Day &#124; World News |publisher=The Advocate |date= |accessdate=2012-04-02}}</ref> Supporter Carlos Apolinário told reporters that his idea “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."<ref name = lgbtnation>{{cite web|url=http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2011/08/sao-paulo-alderman-calls-for-straight-pride-to-counter-privileged-gay-celebration/ |publisher=LGBTQ Nation |date=August 4, 2011 |title=Sao Paulo lawmaker calls for ‘straight pride’ to counter ‘privileged’ gay celebration |first=Brody |last=Levesque}}</ref>
In response Don Babey of the group that made the initial request for Gay Pride Day asked if Black History Month will be partnered with White Heritage Month and will days marking heart disease and strokes be paired with an equal number of days that will celebrate good health?<ref name = "Yellowknife" />


==High School T-Shirt incidents==
Woytuik's request for the Heterosexual Day made headlines across the country. He was shocked by all the attention, withdrew his request for the proclamation, and apologized to anybody who he offended. He referred to his request as a simple one seeking to treat everyone the same. It had blown way out of proportion from what the original intent was, he said. On Monday of the next week, the city of Yellowknife rescinded its proclamation of Heterosexual Day.<ref name = "rescinded" >{{cite news
| title = 'Shocked' councillor withdraws Straight Pride motion
| work = CBC News North
| date = May 30, 2005
| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2005/05/30/yellowknife-gay-day-30052005.html
| accessdate = 2012-03-28}}</ref>


====2010, American Tea Party movement====

"Straight Pride" t-shirts have been sold at American [[Tea Party movement|Tea Party]] protests.<ref>{{cite news|last=Heywood|first=Todd|title='Straight pride' shirts at Tea Party rally draw fire|url=http://michiganmessenger.com/36668/straight-pride-shirts-at-tea-party-rally-draw-fire|accessdate=23 March 2012|newspaper=Michigan Messenger|date=12 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Lepore|first=Jill|title=The whites of their eyes: the Tea Party's revolution and the battle over American history|year=2010|publisher=Princeton Univ. Press|location=Princeton, N.J.|isbn=978-0-691-15027-7|pages=126-127}}</ref>

====2010, Budapest, Hungary====

In the summer of 2010, the Hungarian news wire agency, [[Magyar Távirati Iroda|Magyar Távirati Iroda (MTI)]], reported on a heterosexual pride march in Budapest. One hundred people participated including two radical nationalist politicians. They followed the route of an earlier gay pride parade. The march's goal was to prevent future homosexual use of public spaces.<ref name = "Budapest" >{{cite web
| last = MTI
| first =
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = Anti-gay parade held in Budapest
| work = caboodle.hu
| publisher =
| date = 2010-09-06
| url = http://www.caboodle.hu/nc/news/news_archive/single_page/article/11/anti_gay_par/?cHash=341a28918d
| accessdate = 2012-03-28}}</ref>

====2011, Sao Paulo, Brazil====

In August, 2011, the city council of São Paulo, Brazil, the largest city in South America and site of a huge gay pride celebration, voted to designate the third Sunday in December as Heterosexual Pride Day. For the city council's action to become law the mayor needed to sign it. There is no record that he did so.<ref "Brazil">{{cite journal
| last = Ring
| first = Trudy
| title = Brazilian City Seeks Heterosexual Pride Day
| journal = [[The Advocate]]
| date = August 4, 2011
| url = http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/08/04/Brazilian_City_Seeks_Heterosexual_Pride_Day/
| accessdate = 2012-03-28}}</ref>

===High Schools===

====2001, ''Chambers v. Babbitt''====
{{Quote box
{{Quote box
| quote = "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"<ref>{{cite book|last=Biegel|first=Stuart|title=The right to be out: sexual orientation and gender identity in America's public schools|year=2010|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=Minneapolis, Minn.|isbn=978-0-8166-7457-2|page=203}}</ref>
| quote = "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"<ref>{{cite book|last=Biegel|first=Stuart|title=The right to be out: sexual orientation and gender identity in America's public schools|year=2010|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=Minneapolis, Minn.|isbn=978-0-8166-7457-2|page=203}}</ref>
Line 82: Line 27:
| align = right
| align = right
}}
}}
In 2001, [[Woodbury High School (Minnesota)|Woodbury High School]] in [[St. Paul, Minnesota]] created homophobia-free areas called "safe zones" designated by an inverted [[pink triangle]] and intended for LGBT students.<ref name="Fenton">{{cite news|last=Fenton|first=Ben|title=Student wins right to show 'straight pride'|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1381953/Student-wins-right-to-show-straight-pride.html|accessdate=23 March 2012|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=18 January 2002}}</ref> Student Elliot Chambers reacted by wearing a makeshift t-shirt with the slogan "Straight Pride" and the image of male and female [[stick figure]]s holding hands. In light of previous anti-LGBT incidents, the school's principal ordered Chambers to remove the shirt, and a court case ensued.<ref name="Ayres" />
In 2001, [[Woodbury High School (Minnesota)|Woodbury High School]] in [[St. Paul, Minnesota]] created homophobia-free areas called "safe zones" designated by an inverted [[pink triangle]] and intended for LGBT students.<ref name="Fenton">{{cite news|last=Fenton|first=Ben|title=Student wins right to show 'straight pride'|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1381953/Student-wins-right-to-show-straight-pride.html|accessdate=23 March 2012|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=18 January 2002}}</ref> Student Elliot Chambers reacted by wearing a makeshift t-shirt with the slogan "Straight Pride" and the image of male and female [[stick figure]]s holding hands. In light of previous anti-LGBT incidents, the school's principal ordered Chambers to remove the shirt, and a court case ensued.<ref name="Ayres" /> A court upheld Chambers' complaint that his [[First Amendment]] rights had been violated, and that the principal's decision was unjustified.<ref name="Ayres">{{cite book | last1 = Ayres | first1 = Ian | last2 = Brown | first2 = Jennifer Gerarda | title = Straightforward: how to mobilize heterosexual support for gay rights (Google eBook) | publisher = Princeton University Press | date = 2005 | location = Princeton, NJ
| pages = 41-43 | url = http://books.google.ca/books?id=EyK1jJybaVMC&dq=%22straight+pride%22&q=%22straight+pride%22#v=snippet&q=%22straight%20pride%22&f=false | isbn = 0-691-12134-6}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Ayres"/> Under the [[Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District|Tinker]] case, the court stated that the substantial disruptions claimed by the school must be shown to have some connection to Chambers' t-shirt message of "Straight Pride".<ref name = "first">{{cite web | title = Chambers v. Babbitt, 145 F. Supp. 2d 1068 (District of Minn. 2001) | work = First Amendment Schools: Speech | publisher = First Amendment Center | url = http://www.firstamendmentschools.org/freedoms/case.aspx?id=1691 | accessdate = 2012-03-27}}</ref>

Judge Donovan Frank upheld Chambers' complaint that his [[First Amendment]] rights had been violated, and that the principal's decision was unjustified.<ref name="Ayres">{{cite book
| last1 = Ayres
| first1 = Ian
| last2 = Brown
| first2 = Jennifer Gerarda
| title = Straightforward: how to mobilize heterosexual support for gay rights (Google eBook)
| publisher = Princeton University Press
| date = 2005
| location = Princeton, NJ
| pages = 41-43
| url = http://books.google.ca/books?id=EyK1jJybaVMC&dq=%22straight+pride%22&q=%22straight+pride%22#v=snippet&q=%22straight%20pride%22&f=false
| isbn = 0-691-12134-6
}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Ayres"/> The judge applied the [[Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District|Tinker]] ruling, which held that the substantial disruptions claimed by the school must be shown to have some connection to Chambers' t-shirt message of "Straight Pride".<ref name = "first">{{cite web
| title = Chambers v. Babbitt, 145 F. Supp. 2d 1068 (District of Minn. 2001)
| work = First Amendment Schools: Speech
| publisher = First Amendment Center
| url = http://www.firstamendmentschools.org/freedoms/case.aspx?id=1691
| accessdate = 2012-03-27}}</ref>

====2010, St. Charles North High School====
In response to a local spate of suicides amongst LGBT adolescents, an [[Ally Week]] was held at [[St. Charles North High School]] in [[St. Charles, Illinois]] in 2010. On the first day of this Ally Week, though, three students arrived wearing "Straight Pride" t-shirts. The back of these t-shirts displayed [[s:Bible (King James)/Leviticus#Chapter 20|Leviticus 20:13]], a verse stating that those 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.<ref>{{cite news|last=Fuller|first=James|title=‘Straight Pride' shirts become free speech fight at St. Charles North|url=http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20101110/news/711119792/|accessdate=23 March 2012|newspaper=[[Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)|Daily Herald]]|date=11 November 2010}}</ref>

==Advocacy and opposition==

As the world's largest gay pride parade kicked off, Carlos Apolinário, representing advocates for a straight pride parade submitted a proposal to the Sao Paulo city council to hold a “Orgulho Hetero” day on the third Sunday of each December. "Orgulho Hetro" is Portuguese for heterosexual pride. Brazilians argued intensively over the idea.<ref name = washpost1> http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/straight-pride-suggested-as-brazils-gay-pride-parade-kicks-off/2011/06/22/AGgy1JgH_blog.html "Straight Pride" as Brazil's gay pride parade kicks off By Elizabeth Flock Washington Post June 22, 2011 </ref>{{cn|date=April 2012}} The Sau Paulo city council subsequently passed legislation establishing the day.{{cn|date=April 2012}}<ref name
= SauPaulopassed>{{cite web|last=Ring |first=Trudy |url=http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/08/04/Brazilian_City_Seeks_Heterosexual_Pride_Day/ |title=Brazilian City Seeks Heterosexual Pride Day &#124; World News |publisher=The Advocate |date= |accessdate=2012-04-02}}</ref> Carlos Apolinário told reporters that his idea “not anti-gay, but a protest against the privileges the gay community enjoys.” The Brazilian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Association criticized this, arguing "it could provoke homophobic violence."<ref name = lgbtnation>{{cite web|url=http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2011/08/sao-paulo-alderman-calls-for-straight-pride-to-counter-privileged-gay-celebration/ |publisher=LGBTQ Nation |date=August 4, 2011 |title=Sao Paulo lawmaker calls for ‘straight pride’ to counter ‘privileged’ gay celebration |first=Brody |last=Levesque}}</ref>


In 2010, in response to a local suicides amongst LGBT 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 "[[s:Bible (King James)/Leviticus#Chapter 20|Leviticus 20:13]]", the verse stating that those 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.<ref>{{cite news|last=Fuller|first=James|title=‘Straight Pride' shirts become free speech fight at St. Charles North|url=http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20101110/news/711119792/|accessdate=23 March 2012|newspaper=[[Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)|Daily Herald]]|date=11 November 2010}}</ref>
In a ''Chicago Tribune'' opinion column, [[Eric Zorn]] examined the question "If it's OK for gay people to proclaim their 'gay pride,' why isn't it equally OK for straight people to proclaim their 'straight pride'?" He concluded that "the expression 'Straight Pride' can only be read as a gratuitous and contemptuous response to the suggestion that gay people not be marginalized."<ref name = "ChicagoTribune1">{{cite web|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-11-14/news/ct-oped-1114-zorn-20101114_1_gay-pride-shirts-suicide-among-gay-teens |title=When pride turns shameful |first=Eric |last=Zorn |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=November 14, 2010.}}</ref>


Writing on the St. Charles incident, [[Eric Zorn]] of the ''Chicago Tribune'' asked "If it's OK for gay people to proclaim their 'gay pride,' why isn't it equally OK for straight people to proclaim their 'straight pride'?" He concluded that "the expression 'Straight Pride' can only be read as a gratuitous and contemptuous response to the suggestion that gay people not be marginalized."<ref name = "ChicagoTribune1">{{cite web|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-11-14/news/ct-oped-1114-zorn-20101114_1_gay-pride-shirts-suicide-among-gay-teens |title=When pride turns shameful |first=Eric |last=Zorn |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=November 14, 2010.}}</ref>
The Utah Daily Chronicle story "Straight Pride’ Fliers Posted Anonymously" covered anonymous posting of "Straight Pride" posters following a "university pride" week. Accounts of why the posters were quickly removed varied from the posters lacking the required date stamp to the statement by the flyer's makers: "Most of [the fliers] did not survive their first day of proclamation, whether this is due to humorless officials, gay supremacists or gusts of air....". <Ref name = UtahDailyChronicle> http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/uncategorized/straight-pride-fliers-posted-anonymously/ ''Straight Pride’ Fliers Posted Anonymously'' Utah Daily Chronicle October 22, 2002. </ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|3}}


[[Category:Identity politics]]
[[Category:Identity politics]]

Revision as of 18:57, 3 April 2012

Straight Pride (or Heterosexual Pride) is an anti-gay slogan that arose in the early 1990s and has been used primarily by social conservative groups. It is generally used in response to "Gay pride", a political stance and slogan adopted by various LGBT groups in the early 1970s. "Straight Pride" backlash incidents have generated some controversy and media attention.

Background

As heterosexuals do not generally celebrate "Straight Pride" for its own sake,[1] the concept can cause confusion.[2] A number of incidents have occurred starting in 1990, where the slogan or concept of "Straight pride" has caused controversy. The first known reported events were in 1990, at the University of Massachusetts (organized by a group called "Young Americans for Freedom") and nearby Mount Holyoke College.[3] The next year, in 1991, conservative organizations at University of Massachusetts organized a "Straight Pride" rally, attended by about 50 people, but a crowd about ten times larger protested the rally.[4] Notably, student Theodore G. Maravelias, organizer of these early rallies, subsequently went on to a career of opposing rights for gays including gay marriage.[5]

Typical events which draw media attention are "Straight pride parades"[6][7][8] or "Straight Pride days",[9][10][11] often organized in response to similar events organized by gay groups. Other events, typically occurring in United States high schools where First Amendment concerns arise,[12] have revolved around people desiring to wear "Straight Pride" t-shirts.[13][14][15][16][17] Other appearances of the slogan, such as appearance of Straight Pride t-shirts for sale at a Michigan Tea Party rally in 2010 have also drawn some attention.[18][19] While often based on religious objections to homosexuality,[4][20] some more radical groups such as the White Aryan Resistance and Ku Klux Klan have also tried to oppose "gay pride" by stressing straight pride.[21][22]

Individual Events

  • Yellowknife, Canada (2005): In May 2005, the northern Canadian city of Yellowknife announced that it would mark both a gay and straight pride day.[9] 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[9] 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.[23]
  • Budapest, Hungary (2010): 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 radical nationalist politicians. The march's stated goal was to prevent future homosexual use of public spaces.[8]
  • Sao Paulo, Brazil (2011): In August, 2011, the city council of São Paulo, Brazil, the largest city in South America and site of the large annual São Paulo Gay Pride Parade, voted to designate the third Sunday in December as Heterosexual Pride Day (“Orgulho Hetero” in Portuguese).[10] Debate in Brazil was intense over the controversy.[24][25] Supporter Carlos Apolinário told reporters that his idea “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."[26]

High School T-Shirt incidents

"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"[27]

Judge Donovan Frank closing Chambers v Babbitt (2001)

In 2001, Woodbury High School in St. Paul, Minnesota created homophobia-free areas called "safe zones" designated by an inverted pink triangle and intended for LGBT students.[14] Student Elliot Chambers reacted by wearing a makeshift t-shirt with the slogan "Straight Pride" and the image of male and female stick figures holding hands. In light of previous anti-LGBT incidents, the school's principal ordered Chambers to remove the shirt, and a court case ensued.[28] A court upheld Chambers' complaint that his First Amendment rights had been violated, and that the principal's decision was unjustified.[28] 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.[28] Under the Tinker case, the court stated that the substantial disruptions claimed by the school must be shown to have some connection to Chambers' t-shirt message of "Straight Pride".[29]

In 2010, in response to a local suicides amongst LGBT 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", the verse stating that those 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.[30]

Writing on the St. Charles incident, Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune asked "If it's OK for gay people to proclaim their 'gay pride,' why isn't it equally OK for straight people to proclaim their 'straight pride'?" He concluded that "the expression 'Straight Pride' can only be read as a gratuitous and contemptuous response to the suggestion that gay people not be marginalized."[31]

References

  1. ^ Eliason, Michele. Who cares?: institutional barriers to health care for lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons, p.55 (1996)
  2. ^ Eliason, Michael (2007). "Shifting Sands or Solid Foundation? Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Identity Formation". The Health of Sexual Minorities. 1: 3–26. doi:10.1007/97803873133441. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ (6 May 1990). Rallies Opposing Gay Students Disrupt Campuses, The New York Times
  4. ^ a b "Campus Life: Massachusetts; Angry Gay Groups Drown Out Rally By Conservatives". The New York Times. 10 March 1991. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  5. ^ (15 February 2012). N.H. Lawmakers Consider Rolling Back Gay Marriage, NPR
  6. ^ (8 July 1999). London hosts straight and gay pride parades, Kitchener Record ("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.")
  7. ^ (17 June 2002). Oakland Today - Marchers take part in straight pride parade, Detroit Free Press ("About 100 people marched through downtown Ferndale on Sunday morning in a Straight Pride Parade")
  8. ^ a b MTI (2010-09-06). "Anti-gay parade held in Budapest". caboodle.hu. Retrieved 2012-03-28. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ a b c "Yellowknife to mark gay and straight pride". CBCnews Canada. May 25, 2005. Retrieved 2012-03-27.
  10. ^ a b Ring, Trudy (August 4, 2011). "Brazilian City Seeks Heterosexual Pride Day". The Advocate. Retrieved 2012-03-28.
  11. ^ (17 October 1997). Straight Pride Day fails at ETSU campus, The Oak Ridger
  12. ^ (3 October 2004). They Dress To Express, Newsweek
  13. ^ Case Mary Anne. A Lot to Ask: Review Essay of Martha Nussbaum's from Disgust to Humanity: Sexual Orientation and Constitutional Law, 19 Colum. J. Gender & L. 89, 118 (2010) (discussing "T-shirt wars" that "condemn and denigrate other students on the basis of their sexual orientation)
  14. ^ a b Fenton, Ben (18 January 2002). "Student wins right to show 'straight pride'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  15. ^ (8 September 2003). Telling it (too much) like it is, Fort Morgan Times
  16. ^ (8 June 1998). Gay pride display removed, Lodi News Sentinel (Associated Press story)
  17. ^ Saunders, Kevin W. Degradation: What the History of Obscenity Tells Us About Hate Speech, p. 187-88 (2011)
  18. ^ Heywood, Todd (12 April 2010). "'Straight pride' shirts at Tea Party rally draw fire". Michigan Messenger. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  19. ^ Lepore, Jill (2010). The whites of their eyes: the Tea Party's revolution and the battle over American history. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Univ. Press. pp. 126–127. ISBN 978-0-691-15027-7.
  20. ^ (6 September 2009). What does one wear to a straight pride parade?, Duluth News Tribune
  21. ^ Blazak, Randy (2001). "White boys to terrorist men: Target recruitment of Nazi Skinheads" (PDF). American Behavioral Scientist. 44 (6): 993. doi:10.1177/00027640121956629. Retrieved 2012-03-28.
  22. ^ http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/uncategorized/straight-pride-fliers-posted-anonymously/ Straight Pride’ Fliers Posted Anonymously Utah Daily Chronicle October 22, 2002 (Straight pride fliers posted, and removed, at the University of Utah in 2002)
  23. ^ "'Shocked' councillor withdraws Straight Pride motion". CBC News North. May 30, 2005. Retrieved 2012-03-28.
  24. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/straight-pride-suggested-as-brazils-gay-pride-parade-kicks-off/2011/06/22/AGgy1JgH_blog.html "Straight Pride" as Brazil's gay pride parade kicks off By Elizabeth Flock Washington Post June 22, 2011
  25. ^ Ring, Trudy. "Brazilian City Seeks Heterosexual Pride Day | World News". The Advocate. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
  26. ^ Levesque, Brody (August 4, 2011). "Sao Paulo lawmaker calls for 'straight pride' to counter 'privileged' gay celebration". LGBTQ Nation.
  27. ^ Biegel, Stuart (2010). The right to be out: sexual orientation and gender identity in America's public schools. Minneapolis, Minn.: University of Minnesota Press. p. 203. ISBN 978-0-8166-7457-2.
  28. ^ a b c Ayres, Ian; Brown, Jennifer Gerarda (2005). Straightforward: how to mobilize heterosexual support for gay rights (Google eBook). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. pp. 41–43. ISBN 0-691-12134-6.
  29. ^ "Chambers v. Babbitt, 145 F. Supp. 2d 1068 (District of Minn. 2001)". First Amendment Schools: Speech. First Amendment Center. Retrieved 2012-03-27.
  30. ^ Fuller, James (11 November 2010). "'Straight Pride' shirts become free speech fight at St. Charles North". Daily Herald. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  31. ^ Zorn, Eric (November 14, 2010.). "When pride turns shameful". Chicago Tribune. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Straight_pride&oldid=485379139"