Protesters rally against “Straight Pride” event

August 8, 2019

WNKY Staff,

(KCRA) Plans for a straight pride event in Modesto are causing controversy.

Organizers said it’s freedom of speech, but LGBTQ activists said it spreads hate that goes beyond sexual orientation.

A group called the National Straight Pride Coalition is trying to get a permit from the city to hold an event at Graceada Park.

Don Grundmann, the director of the coalition, said he wants to host an event for people who share the same beliefs about religion.

“There was a core group here who believes, have the same beliefs, we want to take it across the nation,” Grundmann said. “It’s just as well as anywhere else.”

More than 100 people stood outside Modesto City Hall on Wednesday to protest the event.

“This white supremacist rally does not need to happen in the heart of Modesto, the jewel of the parks and recreation system,” said Matthew Mason, an LGBTQ activist.

Mason is a gay man and the son of one of the event organizers. He said the Straight Pride Coalition has a hidden white supremacy agenda.