Straight White Guy Festival' Might Not Be Real

Is it a hoax, or is there really a group of heterosexual white men planning to get together and celebrate their existence?

Fliers for a "Straight White Guy Festival" have been going up around a Columbus, Ohio, neighborhood, WBNS-TV reported, and they're drawing criticism from some and nonplussed acceptance from others.

Details are scant so far, but the festival is reportedly scheduled for September and will feature beer.

Image via Shutterstock

According to WBNS, the fliers are going up around a neighborhood noted for gay pride parades, and it's possible the "Straight White Guy Festival" is a dig at gay events.

“This kind of thing implies there's some kind of struggle going on for being a straight white person in Ohio," Michael Premo told WBNS. "Straight white people are doing just fine.”

Premo leads a pro-same-sex marriage group, and said the fliers are counterproductive.

“I think it detracts from the real problems of Ohio that need to be solved, [people] are being denied their constitutional rights because of who they are, or who they love," Premo said. "And that's what we really need to work on and this is just kind of a distraction.”

Image source: screengrab via WBNS-TV

WBNS reporter Paul Aker noted that the fliers send a "less inclusive message" than the message sent by gay pride parades — despite the fact that the poster clearly states "everyone  welcome."

The fliers also ask that attendees not use illegal drugs.

Onlookers interviewed at the park where the festival will tentatively take place seemed not to care very much.

"If [straight white guys] want to have a festival, they should have a festival," one man said.

WBNS noted that the city had not received any requests for permits for the festival, making it unlikely that there will actually be a gathering of pale heterosexual dudes in September.

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