For those following the ongoing upheaval of this year’s Philadelphia Pride grand marshals, the last week has shown a lot of divisiveness in our community, and in some cases a lot of ugliness. But what it has also evinced is the desperate need for civil, inclusive conversation.
Petitioners who prompted the Greater Philadelphia Gay Officers Action League — and assembly of LGBT police officers and first responders — to step down as grand marshals argued that Pride as an institution grew as a response to anti-LGBT police discrimination. They also contended that honoring officers in light of the ongoing national tensions over law-enforcement brutality would be inappropriate.
Pride grew from the Stonewall Riots — which united people of all races, genders, ages, classes and beliefs. Together they fought back against injustice. That fight snowballed to fuel the LGBT-rights movement of the last five decades, one that has hinged at every step on the notion of inclusion. It is that work that allowed GOAL to be created.
For many years, when PGN would question police-department officials about why there was no such unit, they said they were only waiting for LGBT officers to step up, and out, and form such a group. The tenor in the country — created by that more-than 40-year-old fight propelled by Stonewall — is now such that officers felt comfortable to do so. To exclude them from participating actively in their community is a slap in the face to not only the organization but to all those who have fought for decades to advance LGBT equality.
There are indeed real problems with police brutality in this country, as well as with racial perceptions. But that does not mean that all police officers are racist thugs. Our community for years has fought against the injustice that prompted people to label each of us with stereotypes — we should know firsthand the danger of painting a large swath with the same brush.
What has shutting GOAL out of the grand marshal position accomplished? A seemingly large number of Pridegoers are disappointed and angry at the critics. GOAL members likely feel marginalized by the community to which they belong. Non-LGBT folks see a community fraught with infighting. The message of inclusion and diversity that our community’s pioneers fought for is lost in the mess. But the petitioners were able to say “success” — is that really a victory?
Victory will be when people on all sides of this impassioned issue can come together for real, civil discourse — free of prejudices, egos, biases and personal agendas. We owe that to our community’s pioneers whose unity in the face of injustice made change a reality.