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At the same time, a commanding officer was prohibited from asking a service member whether he or she was gay. “But now these parades have become a very sticky subject as far as commanders using their own discretion because they are showing either a bias toward a pride parade, or the right view, which this is about recognizing who people are.”īefore the repeal, gay troops could serve but could be discharged if they revealed their sexual orientation. “I think many people thought after ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was gone, discriminatory things would be eradicated,” Sala said. Others were granted permission by their commanding officers.
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“The fight for equality is not over, and it is not easy, but this is a giant leap in the right direction.”īefore Thursday, several service members wanting to participate in San Diego’s parade were told they could not do so in uniform. “San Diego Pride is honored to have the privilege of celebrating our country and our service members with dignity and respect,” he said. San Diego Pride Executive Director Dwayne Crenshaw called it an historic moment. “I think across the country we will start seeing active-duty members in uniform march in pride parades,” Sala said. Uniformed soldiers in those countries have marched down the streets of Toronto and London next to scantily clad men, drag queens and civil rights activists. military sanction participation in a gay pride parade, as the armed forces have done in Canada and Great Britain, He said he has reached his dream in seeing the U.S. Sala believes there will be no going back after Saturday. This year’s event has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.The Defense Department policy says personnel cannot march in parades in uniform unless they receive approval from their commanding officers or other Pentagon-approved authorities. San Diego Pride draws about 350,000 people over a three-day celebration every July. “Let’s pause and really challenge how we can have a better relationship with each other,” Lopez said. The decision to no longer allow law enforcement agencies to participate in the parade and festival will be revisited once city officials support policy reform recommendations by Black LGBTQ community members and leaders, Pride officials said.įernando Lopez, executive director of San Diego Pride, hopes city officials will see the proposal as a way to address the needs of marginalized community members. Pride leaders said they plan to host conversations centering Black LGBTQ community members’ voice to identify goals for reform, accountability and transparency for law enforcement agencies. Support a phased approach to policy reform recommendations centering Black LGBTQ San Diegans.The nationwide campaign calls for cities to enact eight policies that could reduce police violence such as banning shooting at moving vehicles, reporting use of force and banning chokeholds. The city of San Diego will immediately adopt the #8CantWait Campaign recommendations.The city of San Diego will recognize the San Diego Pride Parade as a free-speech event and no longer bill the organization for road closures and safety.Law enforcement agencies will no longer have contingents in the San Diego Pride Parade or booths in the Pride Festival.In a letter to San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, San Diego Pride officials asked city leaders to support Black LGBTQ community members. The announcement comes amid a nationwide push for police reform, racial justice and calls to shift funding from police departments to social services following the in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Shearer, president of The San Diego Black LGBTQ Coalition. “The police not only marching in the parade, but their presence in the parade altogether, feels threatening to people who fear the systemic and institutional racism that puts targets on our back,” said Damon J. They say San Diego Pride’s announcement late Wednesday is a step in the right direction. In a show of solidarity for Black LGBTQ community members, San Diego Pride has announced that law enforcement agencies will no longer have a contingent in the Pride Parade or booths at the Pride Festival.īlack LGBTQ community leaders say it can be traumatizing and threatening for Black community members who attend the festival to see officers in uniform participating.