Although other cities anticipate that their LGBT Pride events might be significantly changedor even cancelledthanks to a LGBT demonstration in Washington, D.C., in June and calls for more politically infused marches, organizers of the Chicago Pride Parade have no current plans to alter the format of their event, the organizer told Windy City Times.
Gay City News reported March 16 that organizers of the New York City Pride Parade were under pressure from activists to foreground members of groups that were protesting Republican leadership in the federal government.
"One way or another, these resistance groups are going to take over this parade," Cathy Marino-Thomas, a member of Gays Against Guns, told the leadership of Heritage of Pride March 13. "I predict that if there is no give here, this will be the first time there will be arrests."
The Los Angeles pride parade, which would fall the same weekend as the Washington, D.C., event, will be replaced by a political-protest march this year.
But Pride Parade organizer Richard Pfeiffer told Windy City Times that there has been no call to alter Chicago's format this year and that parade entries can be either "political or social," based on the plans of participants.
"There will be people demonstrating against Trump at the parade, and there will be floats that are both political and social," he said, adding that many organizations have had their entries' plans in place for a year.
Local Chicago groups, however, will be holding demonstrations to coincide with the June 11 LGBT march on Washington, D.C, according to reports; one will likely take place downtown and the other will be as part of Andersonville's Midsommarfest.
Gay City News' article is at http://gaycitynews.nyc/push-for-resistance-hop/ .