“Folks still have challenging and traumatic and many times horrific relationships with law enforcement,” said John Blasco, a parade regular. Tensions between law enforcement and some parts of the LGBTQ community still exist, a half century later. As the city's annual Pride weekend approaches, a recent decision by organizers of New York City's event to ban LGBTQ police officers from marching in uniform in future parades has put a spotlight on issues of identity and belonging, power and marginalization.įor some, cops shouldn't have a uniformed presence at a march commemorating the 1969 Stonewall uprising, sparked by a police raid on a gay bar.
