Nonetheless, a San Francisco police float received warm applause and cheers as it went by - and the event’s emcee chimed in. Militarizing these events increases the potential for harm to our communities.” “We know firsthand that increasing the police presence at Pride does not increase safety for all people. “As queer people of color, we are disproportionately targeted by both vigilante and police violence,” Malkia Cyril, a member of Black Lives Matter, said in a statement Friday. Two days before the event, Black Lives Matter, which had been named one of the parade’s grand marshals, boycotted the event. Not everyone was happy with the larger police force. In the wake of the Orlando shooting, security in San Francisco was tighter than ever, with an increased police presence, bag checks and metal detectors around the Civic Center for the post-parade festival.
Halfway across the world, Pope Francis provided some hope for improved relations between the Catholic Church and the LGBT community when, in comments to reporters, he said the church owes apologies to gays and other marginalized groups for having failed to support them. “The Pride celebration this year is a celebration of how far we’ve come, and how far we have yet to go,” said Zac Gunter, 27, of San Francisco. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage across the country. The passing pall over Sunday’s parade was a stark contrast to last year’s celebrations marking the historic U.S.
