June is Pride Month and cities and states everywhere host huge events all throughout the month. There are parades, concerts, marches, parties, and just about any sort of celebratory event type known to man. New York City is hosting its 53rd annual Pride March this coming weekend on Sunday, June 25th. Ahead of the event, New York City Police Department is preparing to monitor the event and make sure the event remains safe and secure, as it is a cornerstone of NYC culture and the LGBTQ+ community. The NYPD ran a safety assessment and said they have not received any specific or believable threats, but they are on high alert as the event is taking place “amid an elevated threat environment worldwide,” as the worldwide stance on the LGBTQ+ community is unfortunately still not good.
The NYPD published a document detailing potential threats, mentioning past attacks on the community such as the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Florida.
The document also mentioned threats coming from radical right-wing groups, such as the Proud Boys, who have been very vocally outspoken in their hate toward the LGBTQ+ community. They even went so far as once making a post calling the Pride Month of June a “target-rich environment,” clearly showing possible intentions to attack Pride events. Thus far there have not been any major attacks at any major events, but New York City is one of the biggest, which is why safety has been a serious concern. The NYPD has announced they will have stationed officers around the march route, specifically around street closures.
While no fatal attacks have occurred to people this year thus far, there still have been several extreme attacks on the community. There has been a major uproar in the country with any company that has posted any support of Pride Month or released special Pride collections of products. Parents have protested schools teaching about Pride Month or having any Pride Month-related celebrations. And in NYC, pride flags have been vandalized around the city. This is one other issue that sparked up concern in the NYPD.
The mayor of the city, Eric Adams, has condemned these actions, continuing to speak out in support of the LGBTQ+ community and the Pride celebrations.
The police presence at the march this year comes after a ban was placed on NYPD officers, not allowing them to participate in uniform and pushing to limit their numbers at the march. The ban will be reevaluated in 2025, but because of concerns for safety this year they will be present in some capacity at the event.
