The LGBTQ pride movement has never been without controversy. In recent days, many people have expressed outrage about The Center’s decision to not invite law enforcement to participate in this year’s virtual event. The decision has not been an easy one nor made lightly.
A little background about the pride movement. The first pride parade was held in New York City in 1970 to commemorate the Stonewall Riots of the previous year. That seminal event is seen by many as a key moment in the LGBTQ civil rights movement. The Stonewall Riots were also a protest in response to continued harassment by police of the gay community. Indeed, The Center’s own history is closely tied to incidents of police harassment here in Denver in the early seventies. Over the years The Center and many other organizations and individuals, including LGBTQ officers themselves, have worked very hard to improve relationships with law enforcement and make it possible for LGBTQ officers to serve proudly. So why make this decision now when for many people in the LGBTQ community things are much better than they used to be?
Things are better, but not for everyone. While many individuals in the community are currently upset by this decision, The Center received a great deal of criticism over the years for working with police. (After a DPD officer shot and killed Jessie Hernandez, protestors briefly stopped the pride parade because of police participation.) In the context of last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests, several staff members at The Center have also objected to The Center working with police. One staff member questioned The Center’s commitment to racial justice and resigned over these issues including in part our relationship with police. We’ve had reports of community members who viscerally react to police presence because of past trauma around interacting with police. Another community member has privately admitted his fear of being stopped by police because of what has happened to so many Black men. (By the way, this article provides an interesting review of how many LGBTQ folks are involved in founding the Black Lives Matter movement.)
Aurora Police officers detained and killed Elijah McClain and the case is being investigated by the Colorado Attorney General. Some police officers later reenacted the chokehold used on McClain at the place where he died and texted the photo to one another; one officer involved replied “haha.” In June, Brittany Gilliam and her children were stopped at gunpoint and forced to lie on the pavement because police mistakenly believed her car was stolen. There’s currently a federal lawsuit pending against the Aurora Police about their brutal response to last June’s Black Lives Matter protests when they used chemical agents, batons and projectiles at the crowd who gathered to play violins as a memorial to McClain. The Denver Office of the Independent Monitor was very critical of Denver Police response to Black Lives Matter protests last summer. DPD is currently being sued by multiple individuals over excessive use of force.
The Center has often been held to account for our corporate sponsorship relationships when it comes to our pride festival. Likewise, there has been criticism over faith organizations participating, some of which might be viewed as oppressive to LGBTQ people. Shouldn’t we exclude them? We ask all organizations that participate in pride to sign our non-discrimination agreement and we address issues of concern if we learn about them with the participating organizations. Faith organizations that participate are reconciling organizations working within their respective faiths to be inclusive of LGBTQ people.
We have had longstanding and valued relationships with law enforcement—in no small part from the work done by many activists, including members of law enforcement, over the years. There’s no way to discount how important those relationships are and how important and difficult the work of law enforcement officers is.
And there’s no way to avoid that this is a divisive decision that has upset many people. But if we are to be held accountable for our relationships with businesses or faith organizations, shouldn’t we also be held accountable for our relationships with law enforcement? If we are going to put Black Lives Matter on our website or post the message on our social media channels, shouldn’t we consider input from BLM activists? Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera were two transgender women who were important early activists in the pride movement and who are often cited as heroes in the community. We have a mural of their faces painted on the side of our building. If that’s the case, shouldn’t we at least pause for a moment to consider the point of view of those critical of law enforcement, even if that position is not popular? And if we prioritize law enforcement agencies over Black and trans individuals in our community who are calling for accountability, what message does that send?
I am very grateful for DPD’s official response: “The Denver Police Department considers the LGBTQ community valued partners in safety. We respect The Center’s decision to have law enforcement sit out this Pride Fest and look forward to building upon our relationships with The Center and LGBTQ community moving forward.” Lost in some of the media coverage and social media debate is our intention to enter into dialogue with law enforcement to address these issues and how we can move forward together.
The LGBTQ pride movement has never been without controversy. Early activists who spoke out for LGBTQ rights lost jobs and family members before it was safe to speak out and before there were civil rights protections in place. Despite many popular depictions of the LGBTQ community in media that often portray everyone as white, the pride movement represents a diverse group of people from many backgrounds. The issue of policing in our communities is an issue that all Americans must address. We must listen to all voices, including Black and transgender activists, as we move forward to try and make our society more inclusive and fairer for everyone.