twenty one pilots labeled as “Straight Pride” band, sparks fan reaction
People are still wrapping their heads around the idea of a possible “Straight Pride Parade” being a real thing, but the backlash the event caused seems to have dragged twenty one pilots into it.
If you haven’t heard, a Boston man responded to pride month with a discrimination complaint against the city, looking to hold his own parade celebrating straight pride.
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The city complied and now the “Straight Pride Parade” seems to be a real thing, causing social media to explode in outrage.
New York Times Assistant Managing Editor Carolyn Ryan shared screenshots of the parade organizer’s Facebook post explaining his reasoning for the event.
“Straight Pride” parade planned in Boston. With floats. pic.twitter.com/JcTsGRjNPn
— carolynryan (@carolynryan) June 4, 2019
In the flurry of criticism, the Washington Post shared an opinion piece satirically imagining the parade’s floats.
Between tenents of “straight culture,” the author included twenty one pilots. The article was met with outrage by fans, who cited the band’s championing of the LGBTQ+ community.
The fact that it’s a professional news source and they blatantly didn’t do any research shows the lack of professionalism by the author. Especially considering this photo circulated the internet like crazy and you can easily look it up. pic.twitter.com/X2NYXaubJJ
— rebecca | exams | up the aussies ?? (@bxndito_) June 5, 2019
The author of the article responded to a fan on Twitter, saying she wasn’t accusing the band of being homophobic but simply a popular name in “straight culture.”
Thank you for this! I meant the parade to be a hodgepodge of straight culture—from the actively bad to If Straight People Threw A Parade, What Might Be Included? I certainly wasn’t saying everything in the parade was homophobic—not khakis, Seth Rogen, polka, or Twenty One Pilots!
— Alexandra Petri (@petridishes) June 5, 2019
Aside from the uproar caused by twenty one pilot’s inclusion in the article, other familiar faces were vocal on the subject of straight pride.
Mark Hoppus was one of the many who made their opinion known, going a step further by offering a charity opportunity in response to the parade.
Labeling the idea as “ridiculous,” Hoppus pledged to put a bass guitar on auction and donate double the proceeds to the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization focused on LGBTQ+ youth.
“To celebrate how utterly ridiculous a Straight Pride parade is, I’m going to auction off one of my basses, match the final bid dollar-for-dollar, and donate all the money to the @TrevorProject,” the tweet reads.
To celebrate how utterly ridiculous a Straight Pride parade is, I’m going to auction off one of my basses, match the final bid dollar-for-dollar, and donate all the money to the @TrevorProject. ?️?
— mark hoppus.?️? (@markhoppus) June 5, 2019
Smash Mouth, Enter Shakiri and even Avengers star (and Boston native) Chris Evans sounded off with their distaste.
but they’re not “celebrating” straight pride. they’re using the concept as a way to knock gay pride. it’s a variation on “all lives matter”
— ENTER SHIKARI (@ENTERSHIKARI) June 29, 2017
Straight Pride Parade????? FUCK OFF!!!!!!!!
— Smash Mouth (@smashmouth) June 4, 2019
Wow! Cool initiative, fellas!! Just a thought, instead of ‘Straight Pride’ parade, how about this: The ‘desperately trying to bury our own gay thoughts by being homophobic because no one taught us how to access our emotions as children’ parade? Whatta ya think? Too on the nose?? https://t.co/gaBWtq2PaL
— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) June 5, 2019
How do you feel about the concept of a “Straight Pride Parade”? Sound off in the comments below!
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