“That’s a sea change.”Īctivists say a sizable segment of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population has been excluded in that wave of progress, particularly transgender or gender-nonconforming minorities, and those who come from poor backgrounds. community from any discrimination or hate crimes,” he said. officers but regards itself as here to protect the L.G.B.T. “We have traveled in a space of a few decades to a point now where this N.Y.P.D. “But we are counting on the Police Department to do the best job they can to protect all of our guests.” “We know that it can be intimidating for people to see that kind of weaponry at an event,” said James Fallarino, a spokesman for NYC Pride, which organized the weeklong events that culminate with the march. This year, with a larger crowd expected, the police said the bigger deployment was necessary. Over the past three decades, organizers said, they have forged a better relationship with the Police Department and worked closely with them in discussions on security before the march, which drew an estimated 1.6 million people last year. The march itself began after the rebellion at the Stonewall Inn, an uprising sparked by police harassment almost 50 years ago.
But the organizers of the march and other NYC Pride events acknowledged tensions between some participants and the police. The parade has over time become a free-spirited event, buoyed in recent years by the legalization of same-sex marriage. “We are here,” the commissioner added, “and we are committed to being here to protect everybody in this city, and that means everybody.” And last week, the Audre Lorde Project, an organization focused on social justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender minorities and named for the civil rights activist, condemned the “militarization of our mourning.” The group urged gay people to turn to “each other for community safety rather than relying on systems that were never meant for us.” “If anything, the only thing that came to mind was, ‘This gun is so big you have to hold it with two hands.’ The only thing you’re doing is shooting someone, killing a person, and that is terrifying.”ĭuring a vigil attended by thousands outside the Stonewall Inn, jeers and calls to “end police brutality” drowned out Police Commissioner William J. “Nothing about that made me feel safe,” said Fred Ginyard, the director of organizing for Fierce, a group focused on supporting young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender minority members.
Officials said the response, similar to their handling of events like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or Pope Francis’s visit last year, was meant to reassure people as well as protect them. After the Orlando shootings, the Police Department in New York stepped up its presence, deploying officers armed with long guns at gay landmarks and gathering places, such as the Stonewall Inn in the West Village.