Pride Toronto has apologized for his handling of the protest Black Lives Matter in the Pride Parade this year, and what it calls its own “history of the fight against darkness.”
But Black Lives Matter Toronto says he does not want to see an apology from pride – he wants to see Pride take action on the nine demands BLMTO issued in the parade.
Demand with the highest profile – the police are no longer allowed to have floats in the parade or booths at parties Pride – remains unfulfilled, in view BLMTO.
Pride said it would take the matter to an independent arbitrator who has been the standard method of conflict resolution since 2012.
But BLMTO says it is an inappropriate method of addressing the problem.
“This is not a dispute between members of the community, is a discussion on the inclusion of a very violent government body in the parade,” said spokesman BLMTO LeRoi Newbold.
“The police come in uniform with their specific divisions and participate in the parade as an institution, as a government agency. That comes with the symbolism of all that represents the police,” said Newbold.
In a statement about 2,000 words long, posted on the website of pride Monday night, the board of the organization said they were “apologizing strongly and unreservedly paper (Pride) in deepening divisions in our community, for a history of the struggle against the blackness and repeated marginalization of marginalized within our community that our organization continued “.
pride directors lamenting the way they handle the BLMTO protest and were sorry for the “incredible amount of racism expressed by members of our community through this organization.”
Directors also apologized to members of the police who had “felt unjustly attacked and managed by the community that becomes the love and support.”
In an interview Tuesday, co-chairman pride Aaron GlynWilliams said the statement of apology is not intended to address the specific actions in the parade, but rather was a way of recognizing the failure of pride to address the divisions within his own community.
“The apology was written in large by the way the organization has been somewhat silent since the (parade),” GlynWilliams said. “But … this is somewhat the result of a long history that the organization has, and has had with members of marginalized communities and black gay communities, and that is also something we are trying to recognize.”
In addition to arbitration to determine how the police participate in future parades pride, GlynWilliams said, Pride this winter will meet to talk to BLMTO and other black and LGBTQ on progress in the other eight claims groups.
Newbold said BLMTO not been contacted about these winter meetings.
On July 3, BLM activists brought the 2016 Pride parade to a halt for more than 30 minutes with a protest calling on Pride to answer for their “anti-dark.”
The parade resumed after CEO Pride Mathieu Chantelois board co-chair Alica Hall signed the statement of BLMTO petitions, including the ban on floats police and booths, increased funding for pride events aimed at minority groups and hiring more staff vulnerable communities.
Pride continues to be committed to meeting those demands.
But Chantelois was attacked when, in the aftermath of the parade, said he had signed the list of requests simply to make the parade moving again.
Chantelois resigned in August “to pursue an opportunity with another organization.”
Still it has not been replaced.
proud statement Monday came after several outreach activities to consult with LGBT communities and minorities in what they want from the organization. This includes two nights town hall meetings, a survey of 1,000 people and emails from more than 1,100 audience members.
“The responses received clearly demonstrate a very divided community. … Especially in a city like Toronto, where our identities intersect and lived experiences mean our experiences in this city are very different,” Pride wrote in his statement.
GlynWilliams recognized both sides of the debate on the presence of the police.
“Agents of LGBT in uniform want to be held, and that’s an important part of pride, and frankly members of our community feel safer with the police or not, especially post-Orlando (Gay shot disco) and other events of violence “GlynWilliams said.
“But we also understand that some of our most marginalized groups, groups that really started the movement of pride, are still subject to unfair discrimination and perhaps 400 uniformed officers and dozens of vehicles with sirens blaring is traumatizing.”
Newbold says that even if the police continued to march and have floats in Pride, BLMTO not organize another protest parade-stopping next year. Rather, Newbold said, they would find other creative ways to boost trans rare black and spaces in and out of pride.
