Trans Leaders Demand Oversight of Pride Festivities
Activists, groups seek swift changes; Heritage of Pride vows to respond
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
Several transgender leaders and organizations
organizers of the city’s main Pride
festivities to allow Black and Brown
transgender individuals to run the annual
Pride events instead.
“We the undersigned call on InterPride, Heritage
of Pride, and the City of New York to turn
over the responsibilities of producing and coordinating
the annual NYC pride festivities, to
Queer Black, Brown, and Indigenous people of
color,” stated the letter, which was signed by
STARR director Mariah Lopez; activist Cecilia
Gentili; City Council candidate Elisa Crespo
of the Bronx; New York Transgender Advocacy
Group founder and executive director Kiara St.
James; Transgender Strategy Center deputy director
Aryah Lester; LGBT Community Center
of New Orleans president Syria Jackson Synclaire;
Daronesia Duncan Boyd, the executive
director of the Trans United Fund; Al Michaels,
a relative of Marsha P. Johnson; and Marissa
Miller, a national community organizer.
The January 26 letter, delivered to Mayor
Bill de Blasio, out gay Speaker Corey Johnson,
and the co-chairs of Heritage of Pride (HOP)
and InterPride, stressed that Pride originated
as a riot but has “morphed into a multi-billlion
dollar global industry,” echoing longstanding
criticism of the annual march’s police presence,
partnerships with large corporations, and lack
of LGBTQ people of color included in the event’s
preparation.
HOP — which produces the city’s annual
➤ TAYLOR-GREENE, from p.16
in the city are calling on
In a chilling preview of the January 6 assault
on the Capitol, Greene, in a video just last year,
said, “The only way you get your freedoms back
is it’s earned with the price of blood.”
Two years ago, despite their cooptation by
Trump, House Republicans still knew how to
deal with a character like Greene. They had
long tolerated Steve King, an extremist Republican
from Iowa. But when he told The New
York Times in January 2019 he did not understand
what was wrong with being described
as a “white supremacist,” Minority Leader Mc-
Carthy removed him from his committee assignments.
Faced with demands from Democrats that he
act in similar fashion with Greene, McCarthy
refused. In an hours-long caucus meeting on
February 3, Republicans stood by Wyoming
Representative Liz Cheney, who faced blistering
Black and Brown trans leaders are demanding more oversight in this year’s NYC Pride celebration.
Pride march and related events — has been the
subject of signifi cant criticism, and the appetite
for change has been especially evident in the
strong turnout for the alternative Reclaim Pride
Coalition’s Queer Liberation March in recent
years.
However, despite raising concerns that Pride
has become too commercialized, the advocates
are not calling for the elimination of corporate
ties to the events — unlike many other activists
who have sought the complete removal of corporations
from Pride.
“The default racial and gender expression of
Pride festivities are undeniably white and cis,”
the letter states. “It’s time for the default racial
attacks from Trump and his allies for her
pro-impeachment vote last month, keeping
her on in the number three leadership post by
a 145-61 vote — but only in asecret ballot vote.
The caucus did not consider Greene’s fate, so
it was left to the full House the following day
to strip her of her committee assignments in a
vote where only 11 Republicans joined the majority
Democrats.
Why did McCarthy treat Greene differently
than King, where he acted unilaterally? Or at
the least, why didn’t he let his caucus take the
issue off the table by dispensing with her in a
secret tally like Cheney’s?
The reason is that protecting Greene has
become a proxy for defending Trump. Even
though her QAnon affi nities were known during
her campaign last year, the former president
endorsed her. In the past week, Greene,
insisting she would “never apologize,” said she
recently enjoyed a supportive phone call with
PRIDE
REUTERS/LUCAS JACKSON
and gender expressions of Pride to be restored
to its original form. We are demanding Black
and Brown-led festivities, Black and Brown
performers and talent, and partnerships with
Black and Brown-led corporate entities.”
When reached for comment, HOP told Gay
City News they have scheduled a meeting with
Lopez and STARR.
“We’d be happy to speak further with Gay
City News after we’ve met with them,” Heritage
of Pride co-chair André Thomas said.
Among other points, the letter also asks
for Black and Brown trans-led organizations
➤ PRIDE OVERSIGHT, continued on p.26
the ex-president.
A week after the Capitol riot, McCarthy
showed some spine, saying Trump had to “accept
his share of responsibility” for the January
6 violence. But by last week, the minority leader
had backtracked, visiting the former president
in Mar-a-Lago to kiss his ring and appear in a
joint photo op.
One pundit declared that McCarthy’s failure
to stand up to Greene makes the fi rst term
Georgian the de facto leader of the House Republicans.
More signifi cantly, however, it shows the
continued stranglehold Trump has over Republicans
in Washington and elsewhere. Next
week’s Senate trial gives the GOP perhaps
its last, best chance to sever its toxic ties to
Trump. The prospect for that happening, however,
seems slight. The cost of failure in continued
legitimizing of violent right wing extremism
is incalculable.
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