(CBS13) — The city of Modesto is considering awarding a permit for a straight pride march in a local park and residents have mixed reviews on the idea. A flyer circulating on social media posted by the National Straight Pride Coalition says Stanislaus County will host the event August 24th in Modesto’s Graceada Park. The city is reviewing the application and said phones are ringing off the hook. “We’ve been getting letters, emails, comments, and phone calls all day about it,” said Kristi Ah You, council member for District 3.
Ah You said if it was up to her, this permit wouldn’t be considered because the message behind the event constitutes hate speech and sets us back 25 years. “I don’t think we need to give a permit for anything that when you go to the page it talks about whiteness, it talks about western civilization, it talks about being Caucasian. That’s all hate crime stuff to me, that’s not okay,” said Ah You. The man behind the event is Don Grundmann of the National Straight Pride Coalition. He says the parade is his group’s cultural answer to their opponents. When asked what that means Grundmann responded, “anyone that supports the LGBTQ lifestyle.” READ MORE
