Why We March

We support the LGBTQ+ community, and the tradition of Pride and Stonewall. We protest because Pride should represent all of the community. We protest because Pride should represent the vulnerable members of the community in a time of increasing political and physical attacks. We protest because TC Pride went back on commitment to the community and reacted to the response of people of color with anger and blaming.

Reasons for protest go back decades. We protest so that the Pride Committee will honor the legacy and lives of trans women of color, and celebrate their foundational role in the gay liberation movement. Today, the primary focus of the TC Pride is their vendors. In the modern Pride festivities, our bodies are literally for sale! In an era where trans women are being murdered in record numbers and political attacks are being made on the entire LGBTQ+ community, Pride should STAND FOR LGBTQ+ RIGHTS, not just be a pleasant parade full of corporate sponsors to market to LGBTQ+ folks.

The spark for 2017 protests of Pride locally was the acquittal of Jeronimo Yanez for the murder of Philando Castile. After community uproar about the police being allowed to march in the parade, TC Pride agreed that police would not be allowed – but then reversed course almost immediately and without consulting the affected community. The pride corporation threw the concerns of communities of color and anti-police brutality organizations under the bus in favor of pleasing the police. To some, this didn’t come as a surprise. The prior year, nonprofits and DFL leaders tied to the city’s top politicians quelled a protest at Pride in the wake of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shootings.

Since the initial protest, the TC Pride has refused a town hall on the issue. They held a meeting on the issue that included police which the community would not attend, misrepresented protesters intentions and actions in the media, and blamed TCC4J for the lifeless five hour parade in 2018 - even though the protest only took 45 minutes (the real delay being caused by, of course, the police, who stopped the parade for traffic every few minutes). TC Pride did not reach out to protesters in 2019 until both TCC4J and TC Pride representatives were present at a Stonewall DFL meeting in late May.

The history of Stonewall and the leadership of trans women of color against police brutality are all but invisible in today’s TC Pride’s parade. Our forebears’ resistance to police brutality was the beginning of the modern gay rights movement, and the reason we celebrate Pride each June. As Police brutality hasn’t gone away, the resistance to police terror in our communities is just as vital then as now. We see it today in the cases of Jamar Clark, Philando Castile, Marcus Golden, Terence Franklin, Justine Damond, and dozens more. Last year, on the first day of the Pride festival, MPD killed Thurman “June” Blevins. We also see it in remaining homophobic harassment by police officers. We must still fight against police brutality, because it is still costing us lives. We must fight police brutality, and Pride must recognize that their roots are in this fight. We cannot stop now while people are still dying.

LGBTQ+ liberation is and was a struggle against oppression. A big part of that oppression was at the hands of police, and that struggle continues today in many communities of color. This is why we demand:

1. We demand that Twin Cities Pride honors the legacy and life of trans women of color and recognize Pride as the byproduct of their resistance of police brutality and repression. This looks like making space for activist voices in the Pride parade and park by eliminating costs and restrictive selection processes. Also, follow-through on commitments to make Pride more accessible for people with disabilities.

2. We demand that TC Pride combat state violence with the total elimination of police and law enforcement at all of their events.This looks like no police in the Pride parade or park - this includes police in plain clothes. Traffic control should be moved away from the parade.

3. We demand that TC Pride divest of all corporations as they promote the marginalization, exploitation, and criminalization of marginalized communities. This looks like taking responsibility for the impact on people of color of TC Pride’s 2017 actions and apologize. Put the life back into the parade by demanding police re-route traffic to allow to parade to proceed as it used to. Don’t blame activists for delays caused by the police.

4. Reorganize TC Pride leadership to be a majority of LGBTQ+ BIPOC, including people active in fighting current threats to the LGBTQ community who can resist these threats with the support of the community in the streets.

This is why this year TCC4J and many organizations will be “Taking Back Pride” as we “Defend our Trans Family and our Communities!” We will march under the slogans of “Black Trans Lives Matter!” “'No Cops at Pride!” and “Pride for the People!”