LGBT cops in Philly won’t be kicking off this year’s pride parade after all. Members of Greater Philadelphia Gay Officers Action League were supposed to serve as the parade’s grand marshals, but community outcry has forced the cops off the beat.
Opponents cited the LGBT community’s long and sordid history of abuse and discrimination by police departments nationwide and the ongoing problem of police violence against minorities. Stonewall, the protestors correctly point out, was spurred by a police raid.
In a statement sent to the Associated Press, Philly Pride said they “applaud the actions of Philly GOAL because this certainly avoided the tumult that would have resulted by the threatened actions to ‘shut down’ the 2016 parade.”