"Straight Pride Parade" organizer John Hugo. (Karyn Regal/WBZ NewsRadio)
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Boston Mayor Marty Walsh's office confirmed that a public event application has been filed by the organization behind a "straight pride parade" in the city this summer.
The group, calling itself "Super Happy Fun America," is trying to hold their event on Saturday, August 31. Organizer John Hugo held a press conference at City Hall Plaza, where he expects speakers after marching from Copley Square, following the approval of his group's application Wednesday.
He told WBZ NewsRadio's Karyn Regal the group isn't anti-LGBTQ, but wants to celebrate being straight.
"We're not anti-gay, we are pro-straight," Hugo said. "We hope to have 1,000 American flags, to show how much we love our country. We want to invite veterans, we want to invite people who have been excluded from other parades."
Hugo says his group has been discriminated against.
"This isn't Tehran," Hugo said. "This is one of the most liberal cities in the country, and no one's rights should be violated, you know, in that respect."
The parade's "Grand Marshal" is Milo Yiannopoulos, an alt-right writer who is openly gay—and banned from Twitter for harrassment.
The group had been saying Brad Pitt was their "straight icon," until the actor demanded they stop.
Walsh's office added that event permits are "granted on operational feasibility, not based on values or endorsements of beliefs.” Mayor Walsh will not attend.
WBZ NewsRadio's Karyn Regal (@Karynregal) reports