National
NYC Pride Board overrules membership, maintains ban on uniformed cops
On May 19, HOP’s co-chairs and NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison met “to open a dialogue” about HOP’s policy pertaining to police
By Matt Tracy | NEW YORK – Less than a week after Heritage of Pride (HOP), or NYC Pride, announced a ban on police contingents through 2025, the organization’s members voted on May 20 to allow the Gay Officers Action League (GOAL) to march armed and in uniform — but HOP’s executive board subsequently stepped in and set their own policy.
In the end, HOP’s executive board voted to maintain the ban on GOAL members marching armed and in uniform, though the organization is “willing to discuss the possibility of GOAL as a contingent marching out of uniform.”
In a letter to membership following the meeting, HOP’s executive board set the policy “in an effort to be mindful and focus on our mission of creating safe space for marginalized communities.”
“It fell under our purview to do so, as elected representatives of this organization, and we firmly believe that this decision is in the best interest of our community,” HOP’s executive board wrote.
During an emotional meeting with general membership, co-chair André Thomas told members that his resignation letter would be in their inboxes on Friday, according to a HOP spokesperson. But there has been no written follow-through and it is by no means a done deal, according to HOP.
In the May 20 letter to members, HOP also said “The NYPD, and policing across America, is fundamentally flawed. These are institutions that started as slave patrols, and continue to oppress Black, Brown, Indigenous, POC, LGBTQ individuals, and individuals who stand at the intersections of these identities.”
When reached by phone on May 21, GOAL president Brian Downey applauded the rank-and-file members of HOP who backed GOAL at the meeting.
“We are very grateful to the membership of Heritage of Pride for their vote in supporting us in doing the right thing,” Downey said. “We are still disappointed with the executive leadership of Heritage of Pride and their stance on our participation.”
Downey said members have not yet had an opportunity to discuss the question of whether GOAL would be willing to participate in Pride without uniforms.
The latest developments follow HOP’s explosive announcement on May 15 when the organization unveiled a ban on correction and police officers from participating in NYC Pride events through 2025. HOP’s annual march is going virtual again this year, but there will be some limited in-person festivities.
In addition to GOAL’s participation at HOP events, the other issue at hand is the role of police officers working at Pride. In HOP’s initial announcement on May 15, the organization announced that it would “take steps” to keep police officers at least one city block away from events “where possible” and described plans to use private security and safety volunteers trained in de-escalation. That same day, the NYPD said “we’ll still be there to ensure traffic safety and good order during this huge, complex event.”
On May 19, HOP’s co-chairs and NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison met “to open a dialogue” about HOP’s policy pertaining to police.
Following that meeting, HOP tweeted, “Our conversation was productive, though not conclusive, but opens the door toward greater reform. The safety of event attendees is paramount, and the NYPD will continue to provide the services they have in past years, but with increased emphasis on community affairs personnel. The NYPD will work on continuing to reduce visibility at NYC Pride events… NYPD leadership is committed to reeform and dialogue with the community about making changes. Additional details of reform will continue to be a part of further discussion.”
That issue was not mentioned in HOP’s letter to members following the May 20 meeting, but further meetings are planned to discuss the organization’s policy.
Matt Tracy is Gay City News’ editor-in-chief.
The preceding article was previously published by Gay City News and is republished here by permission.
National
Queen Jean is Tony’s first transgender winner
Designer/activist wins for work on ‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’
It was a historic night at the 79th annual Tony Awards on Sunday as Queen Jean won the award for Best Costume Design of a Musical, making her the first out transgender person to win a Tony.
“This experience has been monumental. We are here for the legacy of queer people, trans people,” she said. “We are taking up space in ways we have to take up space. We have to shift the paradigm. So I just want to say, thank you all so much for this incredible honor. The world right now is deeply, deeply combating so many ailments, and we know as a society that when we come together, we can make real, permanent change.”
She won the award for her work on “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” and was also nominated for best costume design of a play for “Liberation.”
In addition to her stage work, Queen Jean is the founder of Black Trans Liberation, an organization that supports trans and gender-nonconforming people in New York City.
National
Madonna turns Times Square into massive dance floor
Pop icon celebrates Pride month with surprise performance
Pop icon Madonna celebrated Pride month with a pop-up performance in New York City’s Times Square on Thursday to the delight of 50,000 fans.
She performed for about 15 minutes high above street level, including several songs from her new album “Confessions II” due on July 3, along with a trio of songs from the first “Confessions on a Dance Floor.”
In addition to the brand new “Love Sensation,” she performed “I Feel So Free” and “Bring Your Love,” plus “Hung Up,” “Get Together” and “I Love New York.” She wished the crowd a happy Pride season; the event was shared with audiences through Grindr’s first-ever livestream.
National
Gallup finds LGBTQ support among Americans is dropping
Marriage equality support lowest since 2016
Gallup, one of the leading organizations in public opinion polling, has found that LGBTQ support among Americans is dropping.
The poll, whose data was collected using Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey, was conducted in May and was published on Wednesday. The data was collected through telephone interviews from a sample of more than 1,000 adults living in all 50 states and D.C. using random digit dialing.
It highlights declining attitudes surrounding LGBTQ issues in multiple areas — from support for same-sex marriage to views on gender identity and the morality of one’s sexuality.
One of the most striking findings was that support for marriage equality fell six points from its 2022-2023 high.
The survey also found that 62 percent of Americans view gay and lesbian relations as morally acceptable, the lowest level since 2016 just after same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide by the U.S. Supreme Court.
One newer question on the poll found that the perceived morality of changing one’s gender has dropped eight points since 2021, indicating the American public is less supportive of transgender people.
The data attributes much of the decline to shifting Republican views alongside the party itself. Conservative leaders have pushed back against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that were intended to foster greater acceptance of LGBTQ people and other historically disadvantaged groups.
President Donald Trump has been a guiding force behind waves of anti-LGBTQ sentiment, particularly when it comes to trans rights. The president has enacted multiple executive orders, including Executive Order 14168, “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” which mandates that gender be defined by one’s sex assigned at birth. He also signed Executive Order 14183, “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” which barred qualified trans applicants from joining the military and led to the removal of trans service members already serving in the armed forces.
Additionally, he signed Executive Order 14201, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which prohibits trans female athletes from participating on women’s and girls’ sports teams.
In February, Gallup found that an estimated 9 percent of Americans identified as part of the LGBTQ community in some form.
The organization also found that 23 percent of adults under age 30 identify as LGBTQ, compared with 10 percent of those ages 30 to 49 and 3 percent or less among those ages 50 and older.
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