Police at Pride

Pride Parades are held all over the world in communities where LGTBQ2A+ individuals feel safe expressing and celebrating their identities, which were historically oppressed. Recently, many parade organizers have requested
an absence of police, or at a bare minimum, an absence of police in uniform due to the historical accounts of police-executed abuse towards LGTBQ2A+ individuals (Canadian Press). Many police and their supporters are offended at the request, stating that Pride Parades started in the pursuit of inclusion, and that Pride organizers should not exclude any group of people. Others feel unsafe in the presence of police officers and do not wish for police to participate. Should police officers be allowed to march in the Pride Parade in uniform?

Reference

Canadian Press. “Pride Winnipeg says police officers welcome at parade, but not in uniform.” Metronews.ca. 26 May 2017. www.metronews.ca/news/ winnipeg/2017/05/26/pride-winnipeg-says-police-officers-welcome-at- parade-but-not-in-uniform.html (18 Sept. 2017).