Why attend Lethbridge's Pride Parade this summer? Some conflicting perspectives towards pride parades exist, even within the community. Here is a reason as to why parades could provide support, and why the question "why isn't there a straight parade?" is moot to some.
Taken from the Everyday Sociology Blog, entry by Todd Schoepiflin:
"Here’s a blunt way of saying it: Life is a straight pride parade. Walk through a mall holding the hand of someone of the opposite sex. Will that generate a dirty look? Bring home someone of the opposite sex to meet your family. Will there be disapproval? Do you have to “come out of the closet” to announce you’re straight? My point is that heterosexual relationships are encouraged and accepted in society. And while there is more approval for LGBTQ relationships than in past decades, there is still not full tolerance and acceptance for those relationships in society.
One function of a gay pride parade is to seek acceptance and understanding from society. Another purpose, it seems, is to spend a day with a group of supportive people. A man like me doesn’t need to march in a straight pride parade because I can walk in any public space with my wife and not be harassed, judged, mocked, or harmed in any way because of our sexuality. The question “Why can’t we have a straight pride parade?” suggests that straight people are being deprived of something in some way. I just don’t see how that’s the case. Heterosexuality is embraced by our society. It is not a basis for discrimination. So my answer, in sum, is that no parade is needed." (Schoepiflin 2011)
"Why Can't We Have a Straight Pride Parade?." Everyday Sociology Blog. Todd Schoepiflin,2011. Web. 12 March 2014.
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