Student’s tweet criticising ‘I’m straight sorry’ t-shirts at Brighton Pride goes viral
A PhD student’s tweet criticising two girls for wearing t-shirts printed with the phrase “I’m straight sorry” at Brighton and Hove Pride has gone viral.
Zoé Vincent-Mistiaen, who is also an LGBT+ activist, told PinkNews that she saw the two girls coming out of the dance tent at the Brighton Pride Festival in Preston Park on Saturday.
Taking to Twitter afterwards, she wrote: “I saw two girls with ‘i’m straight sorry’ on the back of their tops at brighton pride yday lmao if ur gonna treat an lgbtq event -that is still a protest- as a cheap festival pls don’t be so obnoxious [sic].”
The post has been re-tweeted more than 5,000 times.
“I don’t know who they are – I just saw them coming out of the dance tent,” Vincent-Mistiaen told PinkNews.
“I don’t like the idea of judging [or] policing someone’s gender or sexuality: of course straight trans people, bisexuals in heterosexual relationships and straight allies are all welcome at pride.
“But those t shirts were offensive to me ’cause I didn’t think a member of the LGBTQ community or straight ally would be so disgusted at the possibility of being hit on by a woman [that] they have to wear it on a t-shirt at a pride event.”
Britney Spears headlined the Brighton Pride Festival on Saturday night, with other sets from Ella Eyre and Pixie Lott.
Vincent-Mistiaen said she had received messages of support following her tweet, but that she had also been sent abuse.
i saw two girls with “i’m straight sorry” on the back of their tops at brighton pride yday lmao if ur gonna treat an lgbtq event -that is still a protest- as a cheap festival pls don’t be so obnoxious
— zv.info (@rat__spit) August 5, 2018
“[I’ve had] of people agreeing that maybe Britney became the focal point of the event with lots of straight people treating it like a cheap music festival without understanding the history or meaning of pride,” she told PinkNews.
“Had quite a few trolls too but I’m not engaging.”
Attendees at Brighton and Hove Pride parade on Saturday. (Tristan Fewings/Getty)
Once the singer finished her headline act in front of around 57,000 people, fans were embroiled in chaotic scenes at Brighton’s train station.
More than 300,000 people are estimated to have attended Brighton’s Pride parade on Saturday (August 4), which, unlike the festival in Preston Park, is free and open to the public.
Pro-trans activists led the Brighton Pride parade in a poignant response to the anti-trans group that ‘hijacked’ Pride in London in July.
PinkNews reported live from the Pride in London march on July 7 as a group of radical feminist campaigners forced their way into the front of the march.
