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The organizers of the New York “Pride” parade no longer want to allow police officers to participate in the major event.
"Effective immediately, NYC Pride will ban groups of law enforcement and law enforcement officials from attending NYC Pride events through 2025," a statement said on Saturday.
LGTBQ groups of police officers had also marched at the “Pride” in recent years. After the deadline, the decision should be reviewed, it said. The number of police officers deployed to protect the parade should also be significantly reduced; the organizers say they want to increasingly rely on private security forces.
The New York “Pride” is a reaction to longstanding demands by the LGTBQ community (English abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and queer) not to allow a police presence in view of the history of the event.
The parade dates back to the 1969 Stonewall riots.
At that time, revelers in the popular gay bar "Stonewall Inn" on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village in Manhattan fought against a police raid.
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On the first anniversary of the riots - more than 50 years ago - around 4,000 people marched through New York and demanded equality, today the annual Christopher Street Day (CSD) commemorates the incidents worldwide.
It represents the self-confidence of the LGBTQ community and their resistance to discrimination.
This year's “Pride” is to take place on June 27th in a hybrid form of a virtual and physical parade.
Police officers were also targeted by many critics last year in the course of the “Black Lives Matter” protests against police violence and racism.
The “Pride” organizers said that at a time when violence against blacks, indigenous peoples and people of color in particular is escalating, their own decision should contribute to the feeling of security of the visitors to the parade.