SF Mayor To Boycott Pride Parade If Police Can't Wear Uniforms

SAN FRANCISCO — Mayor London Breed said she'll boycott San Francisco 's Pride parade next month if off-duty police officers are not allowed to wear their uniforms, a decision made by the event's board of directors.

In a statement Monday on the event's website, the interim executive director and board of directors said organizers worked for months to come to an agreement that "prioritizes marginalized communities to ensure they are safe, represented, and included during Pride month and beyond."

"For the 2022 SF Pride Parade, SF Pride requested that those participating from law enforcement agencies do so out of uniform and in an alternative attire that still represents their organization," organizers said. "Unfortunately, we have not come to a solution that is mutually beneficial."

The statement came after the event’s board of directors decided May 11 that off-duty police officers who march in the June 26 parade are not allowed to wear their uniforms, Interim Executive Director Suzanne Ford told CNN. Officers can participate and wear police garb through T-shirts, Ford said.

The decision comes after multiple members of the LGBTQ+ community were injured during the event in 2019 during a police response to "unrest." During that parade, protesters blocked marchers, leading to confrontations, arrests and injuries.

The decision prompted the police department's Pride Alliance organization — which includes police officers, fire department staff and sheriff's office staff — to decide not to participate in the parade. The organization said it wanted to "take a stand against the discriminatory actions of the board of the SF Pride committee," CNN reported.

"I would really like San Francisco Pride to embrace the values of San Francisco, the values of radical inclusion," Officer Kathryn Winters, of the police department's Pride Alliance organization, told KGO-TV. "We want to be able to show the members of our community that there are people just like you who put on these uniforms every day and are out there to support, help, and protect you."

Furthermore, Breed said in a statement to news outlets that she supports members of the LGBTQ community who are in law enforcement and will boycott the event if they're not allowed to wear their uniforms.

"I love the Pride Parade, and what it means for our LGBTQ community and for our city. It's one of my favorite events of the year. However, if the Pride Board does not reverse its decision, I will join our city public safety departments that are not participating in the Pride Parade," Breed said.

She added: "I've made this very hard decision in order to support those members of the LGBTQ community who serve in uniform, in our Police Department and Sheriff's Department, who have been told they cannot march in uniform, and in support of the members of the Fire Department who are refusing to march out of solidarity with their public safety partners."

Jonathan Baxter, a spokesman for the San Francisco Fire Department, said the public should be able to see that uniformed law enforcement officers are "good" and "reflect our community."