Philadelphian LGBTI police officers will no longer be leading the pride parade in the city after a petition was launched arguing that it was insulating to have them included. The Greater Philadelphia Gay Officers Action League The Greater Philadelphia Gay Officers Action League were asked to serve as Grand Marshals but creators of the petition argued that pride grew out of riots against the police and was an insult to honour them at the parade. They stated it would be “antithetical to the spirit and history of pride”. “This choice is not only grossly ironic. It also participates in a revision of history that erases queer and trans resistance to state violence as well as the ways in which the majority of queer and trans people have had to literally fight for survival in a system that has used every mechanism, including and particularly policing, to marginalise and harm us.” The police officers declined the invitation to lead the parade as they wanted to “avoid tumult”. A Philly Pride spokesperson told the Associated Press that they "applaud the actions of Philly GOAL because this certainly avoided the tumult that would have resulted by the threatened actions to 'shut down' the 2016 parade."
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 3rd June 2016 - 7:07pm