Orlando shootings temper LGBT Pride events

SAN FRANCISCO — LGBT Pride events here and in several other cities took a more somber tone Sunday as parades in those cities paused to remember the victims of the June 12 Orlando nightclub attack.

Orlando was not far from the thoughts of celebrants, with many marchers and spectators chanting, “We are Orlando” and “Disarm hate.” In New York, the chants were especially strong in front of the Stonewall Inn, which President Obama on Friday declared as the first national monument dedicated “to tell the story of the struggle for LGBT rights.”

The site was raided by police in 1969, which resulted in an uprising that led to protests fighting discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

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Record-breaking crowds in New York watched more than 400 organizations and thousands of individuals participate in the 46th annual NYC Pride 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 teen 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 agents, Clinton stepped out of her motorcade near Stonewall and walked for four blocks, shaking hands along the way and waving to supporters.

Clinton is running as a champion for LGBT rights, but as with other Democrats, her position on same-sex marriage has evolved. As a presidential candidate in 2008, Clinton opposed same-sex marriage, supporting the civil unions instead, CNN noted.

The two-mile trek began at 36th Street and Fifth Avenue, but not before organizers paid tribute to the 49 people killed at Pulse, a gay Orlando nightclub, in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. The names of all 49 were read, followed by a moment of silence.

Pulse owner Barbara Poma and Neema Bahrami, the club’s entertainment manager, were honored with spots on the lead parade float. The Scouts for Equality escorted them while carrying 49 orange-and-rainbow-striped flags to remember the victims. Following closely behind was a marching contingent with a banner emblazoned with #WeAreOrlando and the Spanish-language #SomosOrlando.

This year’s celebrations were dampened by not only Orlando but by reports of a possible attempt to attack the LA Pride event several weeks ago.

In Seattle, marchers honored the Orlando victims with white roses held aloft, KING-TV reported, while in Chicago the parade began with a moment of silence, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

In downtown San Francisco, a group dressed in “We are Orlando” T-shirts marched in silence holding pictures of the 49 Pulse victims. Juan “Chico” Manriquez of Oakland carried one of the photos. “I pretty much cried the whole parade,” he said. “Because of Orlando, it was emotional. And because gun control got shut down, it’s more emotional. It feels a little sad."

The parade featured heavy security as hundreds of volunteers and security personnel dotted the route. For the first time in the parade’s 46-year history, attendees had to pass through security checkpoints and metal detectors to get into the Civic Center. San Francisco Police boosted their presence, patrolling the streets amid rainbow flags, tie-dye and tutu skirts. Several Pride participants yelled, “Thank you!” to officers patrolling the street.

Manny Gomez said seeing so many police officers at Pride was a welcome sight. He and his partner came to the events because they wanted to show that “They can’t scare us back into the closet.”

In Chicago, organizers added 160 security personnel along the parade route, up from 90 last year, the Sun-Times reported. An estimated 200 uniformed and plainclothes police officers were assigned to the parade.

The added security in San Francisco brought controversy as well, prompting Black Lives Matter, the organizational Grand Marshal for the parade, to withdraw from the event. Black Lives Matter issued a statement saying they took the action “because of the unsafe conditions created for our communities by law enforcement.”

“For us, celebrating Pride this year meant choosing between the threat of homophobic and transphobic vigilante violence and the threat of police violence,” the group said in a statement. “We had a tough decision to make, and ultimately we chose to keep our people safe by not participating in any event that would leave our communities vulnerable to either.”

This year’s event was a stark contrast to last year’s. In 2015, Pride had been a loud, joyous event, coming right after a major U.S. Supreme Court ruling for same-sex marriage.

“Last year was more of a celebration and outright party,” said Dan Cooney of San Francisco. “This year, it’s been a lot more solemn and thoughtful.”

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Cooney said he came to the event Sunday to show that hate crimes against the gay community would not make people stop living their lives. “You can’t do that to us,” he said. “I am going to continue to be who I am. You can’t make me stop who I am. I’m still here.”

But Mia Nardikian and Allie Bartholomew also noted that they had come prepared: If an attack were to happen, they agreed to run to the library to find each other.

Although the Pride events have been criticized for growing too commercialized, Nardikian said Pride had an extra sense of purpose this year: “I think it’s time to be as gay as possible and have people just stick together.”

Contributing: Brittney Bennett and Greg Toppo, USA TODAY