The American Civil Liberties Union will head New York’s Pride parade to resist ‘Trump turmoil’
The American Civil Liberties Union, which has led much of the legal resistance to the Trump administration, will head up New York’s Pride parade this year.
A number of Pride events across the US have announced they will adopt a more serious tone this summer in response to the federal government’s shifting anti-LGBT stances.
The organisation behind New York Pride had already confirmed it would adopt a more protest-led stance in June’s parade – and it followed through with the announcement of the Grand Marshals.
Representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union, which has already filed several challenges to the Trump administration, will lead the parade.
NYC Pride explained: “The American Civil Liberties Union has been the United States’ uncompromising defender of individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution for nearly 100 years.
“The ACLU brought its first LGBT rights case in 1936, brought the first case seeking the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in 1970, litigated the Supreme Court cases that took down the Defense of Marriage Act that won marriage equality nationwide, and represented transgender student Gavin Grimm before the Supreme Court.”
Three other activists were named as Grand Marshals.
They are Brooke Guinan is a 29-year-old trans activist and firefighter, Gay Men’s Health Crisis exec Krishna Stone, and Geng Le, a Chinese LGBT activist who created hook-up app Blued.
Julian Sanjivan, NYC Pride March Director, said: “In the social and political turmoil brought by the current Administration, the ACLU, Brooke, Krishna, and Geng represent the components of what will ultimately be a successful resistance movement.
“Our 2017 Grand Marshals are a snapshot of the numerous organizations, individuals, and philanthropists that will lead us through this unprecedented time in our nation.”
The theme of the parade, set for June 25, is ‘We Are Proud’, which “speaks to the LGBT community’s unwavering ability to rise and be proud, even while under attack by a hostile political environment”.
Since Trump took power in January, there has been a rapid shift in policy on LGBT issues across many federal government departments.
The Department of Education has reversed civil rights protections for transgender people, the Attorney General has shelved government opposition to North Carolina’s anti-LGBT law, and the Department of Health and Human Services axed data collection on LGBT issues.
Meanwhile, Trump has used executive orders to significantly weaken federal protections against discrimination, while senior Republicans are openly lobbying him to sign a ‘religious freedom’ order to enshrine the right to discriminate against LGBT people.
