“Straight people are an oppressed majority,” John Hugo, the president of the parade’s organising group, said in a statement. “We will fight for the right of straights everywhere to express pride in themselves without fear of judgment and hate.”

And while the organisers’ claim that the objective of the parade is to “achieve inclusivity and spread awareness of issues impacting straights in Greater Boston and beyond,” it doesn’t take a genius to ascertain that there is zero substance to their argument. Do straight people suffer disproportionately from mental health illnesses? No. Do straight people live under the ever-present threat of abuse and violence? No. Do people have their career prospects jeopardised because of their sexuality? No.

The truth is, as Ocasio-Cortez highlighted, that ‘Straight Pride’ is a shameless display of toxic masculinity, promoted by a (thankfully) small group of people going to bizarre lengths to assert their dominance and privilege over a historically oppressed minority.

Instead of giving them our energy, as the congresswoman smartly advised, we can reorient our focus on the LGBTQ+ community “impacted by Boston’s white supremacist parade” by amplifying their voices and experiences. That, and contributing to the Bail Fund for the LGBTQ+ activists who marched in the face of hate to protect the Boston community, and Boston GLASS, which provides a drop in centre, mentoring, and more to QTPOC youth.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has absolutely no time for that ‘Straight Pride’ parade