Pride and prejudice? Race tinges LGBT celebrations
NEW YORK — Gay pride marches in New York City, San Francisco and in between this weekend will have plenty of participants — and also protests directed at them from other members of the LGBT community, speaking out against what they see as increasingly corporate celebrations that prioritize the experiences of gay white men and ignore issues facing black and brown LGBT people.
The protests disrupted other pride events earlier this month. In Washington, D.C., the No Justice No Pride group blocked the parade route. In Columbus, Ohio, four people were arrested after a group set out to protest violence against minority LGBT people and the recent acquittal of a police officer in the shooting death of Philando Castile, a black man, during a traffic stop.
“Nobody wants to feel dropped in a community that prides itself on diversity,” said Mike Basillas, one of the organizers of the planned New York City protest action by No Justice No Pride.
In Minneapolis, organizers of Sunday’s Twin Cities Pride Parade asked the police department to limit participation following the acquittal of police officer Jeronimo Yanez in the death of Castile. The openly gay police chief said the decision was divisive and hurtful to LGBT officers, which the organizers acknowledged. But Twin Cities Pride Board Chairwoman Darcie Baumann said the decision was made to be sensitive to those grieving after the verdict “and seeing those uniforms brings angst and tension and the feeling of unrest.”