>> Whenever someone says to me, "Why isn't there a straight pride parade?" <<
That would be Valentine's Day.
>> Make no mistake, though: this event isn't a celebration of heterosexuality ; it's a denigration of the queer community. <<
Disappointing. The occasions I've seen it come up were straight folks wanting a button or flag so they could join activities with their QUILTBAG friends without confusion. There's a rainbow flag that says "ally" and a pink-and-blue flag with a white heart that both serve this purpose.
>> This guy is not only a homophobe, he's an idiot. You don't organize a festival this way. You start small, with eight or ten booths from local businesses and artists and a couple of rented rides for kids in a local park. You only pay the park fee and the ride rentals. You hope to make some money back by selling concessions and asking for donations, but you figure you'll be out of pocket for a while.<<
Nailed it. But then, homophobia rarely attracts smart people.
I could see great use for straight pride, given the dilapidated condition of family skills today. Family-friendly and couples activities. A booth selling sex toys and fun condoms. The local clinic's sexual health display. A booth for parents' clubs advertising parenting classes. (Actually, Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers often puts out a booth at events in my area, trying to reach teen MOPS so they don't fall through the cracks.) A travel agent hawking couples' trips. Every wedding planner in town under a pop-up pavilion with flower bouquets and cake samples. A local bar and a local church teamed up to promote their singles events. The counselors offering prenuptial and couples' sessions, plus a listing of all their social-skill modules for singles. An ice-cream truck selling sundaes to share. The formerly-local-guy-turned-romance-model posing for pictures with local ladies, set up by the romance book club his mother runs. A college kid offering speed portraits of couples. And so on. It could be fun.
... I have at least two fantasy settings where this would totally fit.
>> Gay Pride caught on because an entire community of people had been beaten down and made invisible for generations. The sense of anger and outrage that every single LGBT person has felt bonded the community together. Pride is a way to fight back.<<
True.
>> Heterosexuals don't have this feeling of community.<<
Sometimes they do, but it's different because it's open rather than hidden. See above re: Valentine's Day, weddings, and singles events. Because they already have all that stuff, it's harder to pull together a straight pride event. But look at the appalling numbers for divorce and dropping marriage rates. Most humans don't do well living alone, but family structure has been falling apart for decades for a lot of reasons. Nagging people doesn't work. Support for healthy straight relationships would be useful, though, especially to young people who want a lasting relationship but don't know how to do that. Just not a lot of people are taking that angle. The places I've seen it have usually been piggybacked on an event by a less-popular group, like queer or kinky people, with a "something for everyone" approach. That can work too.
Just because that guy is an idiot, doesn't mean the whole concept is invalid.
Thoughts
That would be Valentine's Day.
>> Make no mistake, though: this event isn't a celebration of heterosexuality ; it's a denigration of the queer community. <<
Disappointing. The occasions I've seen it come up were straight folks wanting a button or flag so they could join activities with their QUILTBAG friends without confusion. There's a rainbow flag that says "ally" and a pink-and-blue flag with a white heart that both serve this purpose.
>> This guy is not only a homophobe, he's an idiot. You don't organize a festival this way. You start small, with eight or ten booths from local businesses and artists and a couple of rented rides for kids in a local park. You only pay the park fee and the ride rentals. You hope to make some money back by selling concessions and asking for donations, but you figure you'll be out of pocket for a while.<<
Nailed it. But then, homophobia rarely attracts smart people.
I could see great use for straight pride, given the dilapidated condition of family skills today. Family-friendly and couples activities. A booth selling sex toys and fun condoms. The local clinic's sexual health display. A booth for parents' clubs advertising parenting classes. (Actually, Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers often puts out a booth at events in my area, trying to reach teen MOPS so they don't fall through the cracks.) A travel agent hawking couples' trips. Every wedding planner in town under a pop-up pavilion with flower bouquets and cake samples. A local bar and a local church teamed up to promote their singles events. The counselors offering prenuptial and couples' sessions, plus a listing of all their social-skill modules for singles. An ice-cream truck selling sundaes to share. The formerly-local-guy-turned-romance-model posing for pictures with local ladies, set up by the romance book club his mother runs. A college kid offering speed portraits of couples. And so on. It could be fun.
... I have at least two fantasy settings where this would totally fit.
>> Gay Pride caught on because an entire community of people had been beaten down and made invisible for generations. The sense of anger and outrage that every single LGBT person has felt bonded the community together. Pride is a way to fight back.<<
True.
>> Heterosexuals don't have this feeling of community.<<
Sometimes they do, but it's different because it's open rather than hidden. See above re: Valentine's Day, weddings, and singles events. Because they already have all that stuff, it's harder to pull together a straight pride event. But look at the appalling numbers for divorce and dropping marriage rates. Most humans don't do well living alone, but family structure has been falling apart for decades for a lot of reasons. Nagging people doesn't work. Support for healthy straight relationships would be useful, though, especially to young people who want a lasting relationship but don't know how to do that. Just not a lot of people are taking that angle. The places I've seen it have usually been piggybacked on an event by a less-popular group, like queer or kinky people, with a "something for everyone" approach. That can work too.
Just because that guy is an idiot, doesn't mean the whole concept is invalid.