This thing was such a disaster, it might as well have been a Trump rally
In June, Palmer Report told you that a far-right group called Super Happy Fun America (SHFA) got approval to host a “Straight Pride Parade” in Boston in late August. The group, whose name pokes fun at the word “gay,” is on a fool’s mission to convince the world that heterosexuals are the ones who have been marginalized, discriminated against, and persecuted throughout history on account of their sexual orientation. The parade took place this afternoon, and although there was music, the only sound that mattered was the refrain coming from the world’s smallest violin.
In early July, SHFA published a blog post claiming it was “in negotiations” with 25 respected companies, such as Amazon, Ben & Jerry’s, Best Buy, Gillette, and Yelp, to be “prospective sponsors.” Not surprisingly, all the companies refused to offer SHFA their sponsorship, with most of them denying they were ever in anything resembling negotiations. Some of the companies, such as Grubhub and JPMorgan Chase & Co., went further by taking legal action to stop SHFA from their misleading use of their company logos.
This is not the only instance of SHFA advertising fictitious support. SHFA’s Web site contains more examples, though they are not particularly convincing, such as a photo of Donald Trump holding a doctored sign that says “August is straight pride month! #GreatToBeStraight” followed by his signature. Even more surreal is a similarly doctored photo of President Barack Obama with his “#GreatToBeStraight” sign sloppily appearing above small text that refers to “ReachHigher.gov,” the now-defunct Web site for First Lady Michelle Obama’s 2014 initiative to help inspire children to attend college.
The parade, which at best “drew several dozen participants” (NBC News) and attracted hundreds of protesters (AFP), proceeded today without any corporate sponsors, let alone a coherent message. John Atwater, a reporter for Boston’s ABC affiliate, WCVB-TV, tweeted that “[t]ourists say they thought the ‘Straight Pride Parade’ in Boston was a Trump rally.” That is no surprise, given that the parade began with Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” a tune often played at Trump rallies, and featured floats with statements such as “Trump Nation,” “Build the Wall,” and “Blue Lives Matter,” which seem to display pride only for Trump and his pet issues.
The “Straight Pride Parade” always promised to be an insulting display of nonsense. Now that it actually happened, the parade has proven itself to be no different than the presidency it worships. To borrow a line from our nation’s Hater-in-Chief, it was a complete and total disaster.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month