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.
New York
Two teens shot steps from Stonewall Inn after NYC Pride parade
One of the victims remains in critical condition

On Sunday night, following the annual NYC Pride March, two girls were shot in Sheridan Square, feet away from the historic Stonewall Inn.
According to an NYPD report, the two girls, aged 16 and 17, were shot around 10:15 p.m. as Pride festivities began to wind down. The 16-year-old was struck in the head and, according to police sources, is said to be in critical condition, while the 17-year-old was said to be in stable condition.
The Washington Blade confirmed with the NYPD the details from the police reports and learned no arrests had been made as of noon Monday.
The shooting took place in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, mere feet away from the most famous gay bar in the city — if not the world — the Stonewall Inn. Earlier that day, hundreds of thousands of people marched down Christopher Street to celebrate 55 years of LGBTQ people standing up for their rights.
In June 1969, after police raided the Stonewall Inn, members of the LGBTQ community pushed back, sparking what became known as the Stonewall riots. Over the course of two days, LGBTQ New Yorkers protested the discriminatory policing of queer spaces across the city and mobilized to speak out — and throw bottles if need be — at officers attempting to suppress their existence.
The following year, LGBTQ people returned to the Stonewall Inn and marched through the same streets where queer New Yorkers had been arrested, marking the first “Gay Pride March” in history and declaring that LGBTQ people were not going anywhere.
New York State Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, whose district includes Greenwich Village, took to social media to comment on the shooting.
“After decades of peaceful Pride celebrations — this year gun fire and two people shot near the Stonewall Inn is a reminder that gun violence is everywhere,” the lesbian lawmaker said on X. “Guns are a problem despite the NRA BS.”
New York
Zohran Mamdani participates in NYC Pride parade
Mayoral candidate has detailed LGBTQ rights platform

Zohran Mamdani, the candidate for mayor of New York City who pulled a surprise victory in the primary contest last week, walked in the city’s Pride parade on Sunday.
The Democratic Socialist and New York State Assembly member published photos on social media with New York Attorney General Letitia James, telling followers it was “a joy to march in NYC Pride with the people’s champ” and to “see so many friends on this gorgeous day.”
“Happy Pride NYC,” he wrote, adding a rainbow emoji.
Mamdani’s platform includes a detailed plan for LGBTQ people who “across the United States are facing an increasingly hostile political environment.”
His campaign website explains: “New York City must be a refuge for LGBTQIA+ people, but private institutions in our own city have already started capitulating to Trump’s assault on trans rights.
“Meanwhile, the cost of living crisis confronting working class people across the city hits the LGBTQIA+ community particularly hard, with higher rates of unemployment and homelessness than the rest of the city.”
“The Mamdani administration will protect LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers by expanding and protecting gender-affirming care citywide, making NYC an LGBTQIA+ sanctuary city, and creating the Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs.”
U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court upholds ACA rule that makes PrEP, other preventative care free
Liberal justices joined three conservatives in majority opinion

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday upheld a portion of the Affordable Care Act requiring private health insurers to cover the cost of preventative care including PrEP, which significantly reduces the risk of transmitting HIV.
Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh authored the majority opinion in the case, Kennedy v. Braidwood Management. He was joined by two conservatives, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, along with the three liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown-Jackson.
The court’s decision rejected the plaintiffs’ challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s reliance on the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force to “unilaterally” determine which types of care and services must be covered by payors without cost-sharing.
An independent all-volunteer panel of nationally recognized experts in prevention and primary care, the 16 task force members are selected by the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to serve four-year terms.
They are responsible for evaluating the efficacy of counseling, screenings for diseases like cancer and diabetes, and preventative medicines — like Truvada for PrEP, drugs to reduce heart disease and strokes, and eye ointment for newborns to prevent infections.
Parties bringing the challenge objected especially to the mandatory coverage of PrEP, with some arguing the drugs would “encourage and facilitate homosexual behavior” against their religious beliefs.
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