Openly gay conservative Milo
Yiannopoulos intends to serve as grand marshal of a proposed
“Straight Pride” in Boston.
The group Super Happy Fun America is
behind the planned parade, which organizers hope to hold in late
August. The group said that it wants to follow the same route used by
Boston's annual LGBT Pride parade. “Straight Pride” organizers
themed this year's parade “It's great to be straight” and have
created a “Straight Pride flag” to represent their “oppressed
majority.”
(Related: Stephen
Colbert, Chris Evans, Smash Mouth criticize proposed “Straight
Pride” parade in Boston.)
Yiannopoulos, a controversial figure,
confirmed his participation in an email to The Washington Times.
“I've struggled all my life with the
sorry burden of homosexuality,” he
said. “I am proud to be a supporter and ally of the Straight
Pride parade – because yes, being straight is great.”
Yiannopoulos in 2017 announced that he
had quit Breitbart News, the alt-right website with close ties
to President Donald Trump, amid criticism over comments he made that
appeared to condone pedophilia. The comments also cost him a book
deal with Simon & Schuster.
In 2017, Yiannopoulos called on
Australians to vote against marriage equality just weeks after he
married his boyfriend in Hawaii, saying religious freedom should be
of “paramount consideration” not “those gay couples” who want
to marry.