“When we’re on the other end, at Pride 2022, people will see how valuable it is.” “I’m really excited to cultivate the idea that we all make decisions,” Muhammad said. In a meeting this Thursday, the members of each committee will elect a “convener,” who will form the core leadership group. It’ll be divided into 10 committees: medical, logistics, fundraising, sponsors, social media, volunteers, entertainment/nightlife, safety, youth and accessibility. The group met again to decide the structure of the budding organization.
Executive director Price refused to remove Volz from his position - telling PhillyVoice: “I can’t tell him what to do with his Facebook.” The following year, in 2017, Philly Pride Presents senior adviser Chuck Volz was discovered sharing racist and misogynistic memes on his personal social media account. In the end, GOAL declined the honor and LGBTQ police did not act as parade grand marshals. In 2015, the US Transgender survey found 58% of respondents had experienced verbal or physical assault by police. Data shows LGBTQ people experience discrimination and violence from police at higher rates. Pride started as a riot among Black trans women in response to police violence, so many queer and trans people feel police inclusion in modern events is problematic. “The community protested and called it out,” Muhammad said. “But that level of rigidity and that authoritarian kind of vibe,” she added, “doesn’t have any place anywhere, certainly not in something that should really be community led.”īlack and brown LGBTQ people were again disheartened in 2016, said activist Muhammad, when Philly Pride Presents chose to honor the Greater Philadelphia Gay Officer Action League (GOAL) as grand marshals. “To be clear and fair, I think that the contributions Fran made to the community are absolutely unparalleled and added to the richness of LGBT community’s experience,” Gonzales said. Gonzales, formerly the director of GALAEI, said she once considered Price a friend.
So ACT UP maintained its booth at the Odunde instead. “It’s like, ‘Are you Black or are you gay?’ No one’s going to run to two festivals in one day.” Price refused to change the parade schedule, de Marco said. “You’re making African American people choose between their race and their sexuality,” de Marco said about the conflict. He asked Price to switch the date of Pride.
In the mid-90s, de Marco said he was alarmed when executive director Franny Price scheduled the parade for the same weekend as the Odunde Festival, one of the largest and longest running Black street festivals in the country.
José de Marco, a longtime community organizer with HIV/AIDS advocacy org ACT UP Philadelphia, said he began distancing himself from Philly Pride Presents a long time ago. “It’s all very clear and transparent.” Decades of offending people in the community “All the meetings are open, the leadership is voted on by the community, there’s a process by which folks can share ideas and opinions,” Gonzales said. Members of the new group are feeling hopeful.