SAN FRANCISCO — LGBT Satisfaction occasions right here and in a number of different cities took a extra somber tone Sunday as parades in these cities paused to recollect the victims of the June 12 Orlando nightclub assault.
Orlando was not removed from the ideas of celebrants, with many marchers and spectators chanting, “We're Orlando” and “Disarm hate.” In New York, the chants have been particularly robust in entrance of the Stonewall Inn, which President Obama on Friday declared because the first national monument devoted “to inform the story of the wrestle for LGBT rights.”
The location was raided by police in 1969, which resulted in an rebellion that led to protests preventing discrimination towards homosexual, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals.
Report-breaking crowds in New York watched greater than 400 organizations and hundreds of people take part within the 46th annual NYC Satisfaction March. The parade was led by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and grand marshals included Syrian refugee and LGBTQ activist Subhi Nahas, transgender activist Cecilia Chung and teenage transgender activist Jazz Jennings, at 15 the youngest marshal ever.
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton marched in the New York parade, CNN reported. Flanked by Secret Secret brokers, Clinton stepped out of her motorcade close to Stonewall and walked for 4 blocks, shaking palms alongside the best way and waving to supporters.
Clinton is operating as a champion for LGBT rights, however as with different Democrats, her place on same-sex marriage has advanced. As a presidential candidate in 2008, Clinton opposed same-sex marriage, supporting the civil unions as an alternative, CNN famous.
The 2-mile trek started at 36th Road and Fifth Avenue, however not earlier than organizers paid tribute to the 49 individuals killed at Pulse, a homosexual Orlando nightclub, within the worst mass capturing in U.S. historical past. The names of all 49 have been learn, adopted by a second of silence.
Pulse proprietor Barbara Poma and Neema Bahrami, the membership’s leisure supervisor, have been honored with spots on the lead parade float. The Scouts for Equality escorted them whereas carrying 49 orange-and-rainbow-striped flags to recollect the victims. Following intently behind was a marching contingent with a banner emblazoned with #WeAreOrlando and the Spanish-language #SomosOrlando.
This yr’s celebrations have been dampened by not solely Orlando however by reviews of a attainable try and assault the LA Delight occasion a number of weeks in the past.
In Seattle, marchers honored the Orlando victims with white roses held aloft, KING-TV reported, whereas in Chicago the parade started with a moment of silence, the Chicago Solar-Occasions reported.
In downtown San Francisco, a gaggle wearing “We're Orlando” T-shirts marched in silence holding footage of the 49 Pulse victims. Juan “Chico” Manriquez of Oakland carried one of many pictures. “I just about cried the entire parade,” he stated. “Due to Orlando, it was emotional. And since gun management acquired shut down, it’s extra emotional. It feels slightly unhappy."
The parade featured heavy safety as lots of of volunteers and safety personnel dotted the route. For the primary time within the parade’s 46-year historical past, attendees needed to cross by way of safety checkpoints and metallic detectors to get into the Civic Middle. San Francisco Police boosted their presence, patrolling the streets amid rainbow flags, tie-dye and tutu skirts. A number of Satisfaction members yelled, “Thanks!” to officers patrolling the road.
Manny Gomez stated seeing so many cops at Satisfaction was a welcome sight. He and his companion got here to the occasions as a result of they needed to point out that “They will’t scare us again into the closet.”
In Chicago, organizers added 160 safety personnel alongside the parade route, up from 90 final yr, the Solar-Occasions reported. An estimated 200 uniformed and plainclothes cops have been assigned to the parade.
The added safety in San Francisco introduced controversy as properly, prompting Black Lives Matter, the organizational Grand Marshal for the parade, to withdraw from the occasion. Black Lives Matter issued a press release saying they took the motion “due to the unsafe circumstances created for our communities by regulation enforcement.”
“For us, celebrating Delight this yr meant selecting between the specter of homophobic and transphobic vigilante violence and the specter of police violence,” the group said in a statement. “We had a troublesome determination to make, and finally we selected to maintain our individuals protected by not collaborating in any occasion that would go away our communities weak to both.”
This yr’s occasion was a stark distinction to final yr’s. In 2015, Satisfaction had been a loud, joyous occasion, coming proper after a serious U.S. Supreme Courtroom ruling for same-sex marriage.
“Final yr was extra of a celebration and outright get together,” stated Dan Cooney of San Francisco. “This yr, it’s been much more solemn and considerate.”
Cooney stated he got here to the occasion Sunday to point out that hate crimes towards the homosexual group wouldn't make individuals cease dwelling their lives. “You possibly can’t do this to us,” he stated. “I'm going to proceed to be who I'm. You possibly can’t make me cease who I'm. I’m nonetheless right here.”
However Mia Nardikian and Allie Bartholomew additionally famous that that they had come ready: If an assault have been to occur, they agreed to run to the library to seek out one another.
Though the Satisfaction occasions have been criticized for rising too commercialized, Nardikian stated Delight had an additional sense of objective this yr: “I feel it’s time to be as homosexual as attainable and have individuals simply stick collectively.”
Contributing: Brittney Bennett and Greg Toppo, USA TODAY
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