NYC Pride has announced on May 15 that they will ban corrections and law enforcement exhibitors at NYC Pride events until 2025, a move that has since then garnered much media attention, as well as receive backlash from LGBTQ+ police groups. It’s ironic, considering that the Stonewall Riots in 1969 were caused by police brutality, with the LGBTQ+ community fighting back. 51 years later, the progenitor of the Stonewall Riots, NYC Pride, banning law enforcement presence, especially in the 21st century of a very liberal city, is really raw.
This decision is undoubtedly fueled by decades of police brutality, especially since George Floyd. Just last year, NYPD clashed with pride (Queer Liberation Protest) and BLM protesters on June 28. In that same year, NYPD also shot a man 10 times, who was thought to be carrying a gun (it was a metal pipe) and suffocated another man with a spit hood. Then there’s this story about a female police officer who faced hell from several high ranking officers for wearing a face mask, who also previously faced the same harassment when she needed lactation breaks after returning from maternity leave. NYPD is even facing a “blue fight“; thousands of police have retired or left, reaching an all time low since 2011.
I don’t know if banning law enforcement presence (including LGBTQ+ police entities) is the best decision, but, the police do have until 2025 to straighten themselves out (no pun intended). It’s worth pointing out that just because their presence is unwanted at Pride events, law enforcement can, will, and must provide necessary services, such as traffic control and when things actually get out of control. Meanwhile, the videos below show the good of the NYPD.