Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Saturday called out those who were participating in Boston’s “Straight Pride Parade.” The freshman congresswoman said it should have been called the “I-Struggle-With-Masculinity” parade.
“For men who are allegedly so ‘proud’ of being straight, they seem to show real incompetence at attracting women to their event,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a tweet. The tweet was accompanied by a video showing marchers. “For men who are allegedly so “proud” of being straight, they seem to show real incompetence at attracting women to their event. Seems more like a ‘I-Struggle-With-Masculinity’ parade to me.”
“Hope they grow enough over the next year to support / join LGBTQ fam next #Pride,” the freshman lawmaker added.
In a subsequent tweet, AOC asked for contributions to a bail fund for “activists who put themselves on the line protecting the Boston community.”
The Straight Pride Parade was reportedly organized by a group of three men as a way to respond to the festivities that coincided with LGBT Pride Month in June. The Saturday parade drew a rather large contingent of counter-protesters and a heavy police presence, according to reports.
The video Ocasio-Cortez used as a link showed mostly men walking along the street waving American flags and holding signs that said “Make normalcy normal again.”
Other signs and floats expressed many messages that echoed President Trump’s language. One float carried signs that read “Drain the swamp,” “Secure America’s borders” and “Trump 2020.”
Boston police officer James Moccia, a department spokesman, told CNN that 34 people were arrested during the parade.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh (D) denounced the parade on Twitter, calling on city residents to “continue to turn our backs on hatred.”
“As I’ve said, a “Straight Pride” Parade won’t overshadow the tremendous role Boston plays in the national movement for equality. We will continue to be a leader in the fight for civil rights.”