So it was basically like any other day on Franklin Street - straight people walking up and down the street, demonstrating to the world that they’re, well, straight. If it hadn’t been for the beaver and the rooster, they probably wouldn’t have even needed a permit.

In the days leading up to the parade, several members of the Committee for a Queerer Carolina, a GLBT-SA subgroup, brainstormed to come up with an appropriate response. But what message did we want to send? We were divided ? should we show support for the parade or protest it? After all, isn’t it hypocritical for LGBTIQ people to hold our own pride parades, yet complain when straight folks do it? Isn’t pride in one’s sexuality a good thing for everyone, straight or otherwise? And yet doesn’t it seem tasteless for straight people to appropriate pride parades? And aren’t there meaningful implications of that sort of appropriation?

The cause of this debate, I believe, lies in an unclear understanding of the purpose of pride parades. Here’s the thing: pride parades aren’t really about pride. They’re about visibility. They’re about sending a message to everyone who insists we stay in the closet that says, “no, absolutely not, we aren’t doing that anymore.” It looks like pride, sure. But at its core, it’s about showing up, being there and not apologizing for it.

That said, I don’t think it’s hypocritical to ask that straight people not co-opt pride parades, because when they do, it creates a false parallel. It sends the message that straight people don’t have the opportunity to take pride in their sexuality ? and they do, every day. Heterosexual pride is everywhere; it just isn’t labeled as such.

Think about it. If two women kiss in public, they’re “flaunting their sexuality” and have to endure stares, whispers and the threat of worse. When ? not if ? two straight people display affection in public, no one bats an eye. Where is the balance here?

It’s important to celebrate one’s sexuality, however it might be defined. But to specifically stage a Heterosexual Pride Parade completely ignores the reality of heterosexism in our society. Pride parades were a response to the closet, to the ways in which LGBTIQ people are forced to hide or disguise their sexuality. To send the message that straight people have these same problems - fear of being open about their sexuality, fear of violence in response to that openness - is a lie, and an insulting one. Having a “hetero” pride parade ignores the historical and cultural context in which pride parades are rooted.

Heterosexual pride parades can be seen in the same light as white pride parades. Sure, people should celebrate their ancestry, but having a white pride parade would ignore the past and present power imbalance between white people and people of color. It would, in effect, send the message that white people have some need to clamor for attention to demonstrate that they exist. Similarly, having a straight pride parade does nothing except send a convoluted, and ultimately false, message that the power dynamic between people of all sexual identities is balanced, when clearly, it is not.

Heterosexual pride parades water down the political meaning of LGBTIQ pride parades, to the point where they’re just parties about who you sleep with rather than statements about heterosexism and forced invisibility. So let’s be clear: I’m all about straight people taking pride in their sexuality, but not at the expense of LGBTIQ people.

And so we protested. We made our signs ? “Legalize Opposite-Sex Marriage,” and “Let Straight People Adopt, Too!” were two of my favorites ? and we marched with those proud heterosexuals. We got looks. We got sweaty. We got an ironic “Thank ya’ll for coming out!” from Bob Dumas himself. But most importantly, we got to walk away from a demeaning, insulting - pride intact.